Mitch

They always turned up in each other's way, well, until Rauch came along. Van dumped Alan to go help Billy, but also because Alan wanted Reva as his slut. Van was the first SF character that Reva turned to for help after everyone knew she was alive and Josh rejected her and didnt want her near the kids, etc. However, my favorite scene was actually during Wheeler's time when Reva and Bill and Lizzie are toasting Van and Billy's engagement and Lilly admits she is intimidated by Vanessa. Vanessa is all like "Who ME???" and Reva chimes in..."I've ALWAYS been afraid of you!" It was a great scene and a nice full circle with the three characters who have been getting into each other's hair for so long even if they werent BIG storylines.

Ah, Beacroft as the mob guy. Sorry, Marland should have kept him around..not wussified him (I know, impossible for Marland) but made him go "straight, " but still a villain. Antonio Reyes suckes as a bad guy and James got to be boring. I kind of wish GL had brought Beacroft back as a newly tough Tony Reardon...SIGH! AY-YA!

So much going on here. I loved it back in the day when Lisa was up in everyone's business and knowing where all the bodies (and baby daddies) are buried. They really did a number on her in later years..she should have been all in it with Carly and Molly instead of acting like Oakdale's Phoebe. Breen was not right for Lisa's son, he should have been wild and sexual but not this stiff guy..that's Toms job. I liked the Babs and Frannie scene. FF the Snyders as I always did watching it. I forgot that ATWT beat GL to the mobster's. Thought I have to say, these guys are sinister and they are hot. Yes, Iva sucked all the last life out of Johnny Boy.

Thanks for posting..the attack of the sappy. wussy Marland men is in full force in this episode, with Tom nearly crying about Margo..(loved the obvious look on Craig's face that he knows the truth) and then both Craig and Casey holding his hand..then the scene with Casey and Craig hanging out in their Brady Bunch robes on the porch. That lighting during this time was awful..everything is in shadow...except Margo's room which is bright white so we know she is in Greece. Meg's hair makes her look 50.

Beverly's arrival was the first mention of Alex or of Alan having any siblings. No mention of it during the Brandon death scenes, etc. Yes, Billy's attitude toward Reva was to cover up his feelings, however, even in real life if your ex wife tried married your elderly father you would have problems. Reva in her first appearances was more of a crafty trashy manipulator then the good time girl with a heart of gold she quickly became. I miss Mindy's attitude toward Reva, and liked it that even when they let it go, they still could annoy each other...(loved the scene when Mindy was involved with Will, and arguing and Reva says, "Listen missy, I changed your diapers and I can still take you over my knee.." and Mindy just turns around and sticks her tounge out and then Reva kicks the door! They needed more of the Reva/Mindy thing, almost as good as Vanessa/Nola who learned to care about each other but still could do at it.

I don't think the smaller sets could take FR's huge flaring nostrils...(or ego, or scenery chewing.) As you can see, I am thankful FR never came back. Speaking of..that 93 clip showing Kim's office and its HUGE..how far the show's fell after that.

Well, I don't think it was just the age of Hulswitt, but his weight gain that might have effected the decision. Stewart, while not my cup of tea, still was leading man....(he still looked great during the 70th anniversary bash) and could have continued on for years, yes, not as romantic hero but Patriarch of SF after Bert died. Ed was such a weak character in terms of personal strenght, and Simon lacked any kind of real warmth (though I think he had good chemistry with OLeary and the girl playing Bridget..) that it crippled the Bauers in the later years. Mike would have been the go to guy and town father if not for Stewart's ego..( I always felt that Fulton's ego as wanting to remain the romantic leading lady really pushed her aside around Dobson time.) Its too bad they didnt bring Mike and Hope back in 86..they could have picked up the Alex Lillian thing then (Alex was mooning over the dumb Simon plot at that time and Lillian was doing nothing...) and would have made a nice lead in to the return of Alan and then the return of Roger.

I actually liked the Jessica actress better then Tunie, who I found to be a cold fish. The other actress could bring the business like power attorney thing but she also looked like someone Duncan would want to bed and wed if you know what I mean.

Rick mentioned Bert in his toast for the last BBQ. It was nice, so someone...(I would think it was the woman who was head writing at the time)remembered history. Rick mentioned Bert in his toast for the last BBQ. It was nice, so someone...(I would think it was the woman who was head writing at the time)remembered history.

The problem was that some of Marland's stories regarding black characters, had..if not an uninteded racisim, a "out of tune," quality to them. Nella got pregnant from a "gang," member of course. Nancy Hughes has to teach the black girl to read, etc. Jessica was most successful but frankly, the character was so generic Marland, (cold and standoffish) that she could have been any race..(which I guess was the point...) But it was the same for all his characters, his poor and farm characters spoke the same as the Upper Middle Class and Very Upright Hughes family.

The sets seemed to be especially dark and ugly too. I don't remember that with Bunim and of course, by this time GL had always had better, brighter sets. But I will take the better writing anyday.

LOL..."I love Craig like he was another son." Lisa, had "adopted," half the town by then and most of the under 30 characters. Its sad what they did to her under Goutman and Sheffer when she was so isolated..I can't believe she would not have been involved in Carly's shenagans half the time trying to right her wrongs and the other half aiding and abateing her. Did Lisa and Tom ever have scenes with the NuCraig guy? Bryce looked cute in this with the longer hair but of course, he was blubbering about to cry which all I remember him doing under Marland. Everybody besides Craigs hair is so bad!

Yea, isnt it funny that a show about a zombie apocolypse has more human intereaction and relatablility then any soap now...well, I have to say, I havent see one since ATWT went off the arit but when Im home and I flip through channels they all look so cliched and stupid. Its sad about GL, as I knew the hey day was gone but I thought the idea was interesting and could have brought soaps back to its roots..every day people dealing with slightly hightened reality..but Wheeler kept the bad cliched types she had no budget for. Yea, its funny, I remember my Mom saying she had to watch that "Damn Lisa," was up to, (it was my quiet time so she could watch the shenangians..) so I always thought Lisa was really, really bad in her hey day. But watching this (and it is much earlier Lisa then my reference) she was just a silly manipulative girl who made bad choices. Nowadays Lisa would have poisioned Bob, gaslighted Grandpa, etc. Watching these episodes it really does seem as the crtiics did that Phillips wanted to show a slice of life and that is what hooked viewers. Too bad it became old hat in the 70s and 80s, Maybe what needs to happen is that the generation who grew up on the 80s camp and excess, will leave, the remaining soaps die off, and then a new generation will recreate them. Look at NPR's "Serial," a tiny little podcast which has a million listeners each time, sure its about a murder, and its real but its a continuing story with just voice overs like a radio soap, and its a huge hit with no budget at all.

Also, it wasn't Rauch who really was behind Zaz being fired..it was MADD and PG..his hands were tied...(now could he have done more, who knows.) I will say a lot about Rauch, but he always said that the vets like JVD, Garret and Blake actress would stay on as long as he was there. I think a lot of what aired was out of his hands.

Thanks I love it! After you get used to the Night of the Living Dead music cues (I thought when Lisa came down the stairs that Bruce was going to be a zombie or something) you can really get caught up in it. I love that the writers and producers Dobsons up until Marland viewed the Hughes as the boring all American family while as you say, Phillips showed the tensions and problems in a core family. They didnt have to sit around and serve coffee and listen to others problems. I like that Lisa is a relatable "bad girl, " not vamping it up and snearing...she is a silly young married woman who got caught up in this affair and doesnt know what to do. I also like her subtle bitchiness and manipulations...she is all sweet with Nancy about Penny keeping Tom, but throwing in a little inference that she is the long suffering mother giving up for her child, and then breaking bad on Penny to Bob later. I like her also insunuating about Nancy's control issues...("Well I tried to help but your mother wouldnt let me." ) They hadnt got to point of Nancy/Lisa dynamic I remember. I like that Grandpa was trying to hint to Nancy something was up and Nancy purposely ignoring it and then his funny, "Well she'll be suprised all right!" I like the other segment with Grandpa and Lisa..it all seems so natural and not over the top as soaps became..plust its fun to see, what Fulton and Hastings referred to as "The Bordello," Granpa's tacky bedroom. GL really lost an opportunity when they went to Peapack. They should have told these kinds of stories which would be realistlcally take place on lving room sets. I think that this might have really counterprogrammed GH and the mob and really set it apart from other soaps..even if it failed it failed anyway. GL kept going with business take overs and hunky jewel theifs and assasains and special agents and it didnt work on that budget.

LOL..he was the pass around boy between Meloni and his prison lover..and Bloom played a character who got what he wanted by supplying certain uh favors. He also had the most, if you have macabe sense of humor, hilariously sleazy and cheesy death on TV! If you havent seen Oz, your mind will be blown its as if the show is written by the love child or Reilly, McTavish and Sheffer was on crack, stoned, drunk out of its mind....In other words, its must see TV.

I didn't like Brian, but then, I never liked the actor who played him in anything he did. What happened to the first actor who played him, I thought he was better. Also, I heard that before Whit was brought on that Lisa was supposed to come back from Europe having an affair with a younger man, and that would be Brian. Were they going for a triangle with he and his dad, or was Whit created later? Brian Bloom was just sour grapes that his young stud status had to be shared with the new beef in town. I think he was much like the Steve actor in that the past regime filled their heads wtih him being the "stars," of the show or at least the draws and they didn't like the Marland ensemble feel.

I always thought Paker would make a great Alexandra Spaulding recast...or maybe Elizabeth Spaulding..so she would have made a cool Iris.

You also have to understand Fulton. She was a tireless self promoter (one of the first soap "stars," and she had a p.r. agent, etc) so you can't always take her word for things as she liked to embellish (and get the publicity of having a body guard.) Though I did know ATWT as my mom would say, "I have to see what that bitch Lisa is up to today." ) So Lisa did get under ladies skin in those days! I think Zaz and McKinsey were probably a bit more remote and untouchable then Fulton was in public.

Who was Irizarry balling that he was in every promo, etc. Did JFP have the hots for him (I had forgotten his speech impediment which use to drive me crazy..or maybe its an accent.) Speaking of JFP...I never saw her "in person," and at first I did indeed think it was Brent/Marion so that rumor that they modled "her," after JFP has to be true. The Country Club set looks so small there and it looked huge on the show. Funny that MG was talking about sets..she didn't see Peapack coming..(though really, all you need is a living room, kitchen, offfice, place to eat and bedrooms to tell a good story on a soap.)

No... but I remember them from their first air! Yea, Poser would have been good given something to do and toned down a bit. They needed a back story explanation, as underneath all the bravado she was still that vunerable woman ( I would say plain and boring) that Cullen played. Kind of like Lucinda was a creating of Mary Alice Waters, THIS Amanda was how she could deal with the world and her family. She played wistful very well..and could sling a one liner...(would have loved to see her with Bev.) Alan: "Amanda, Josh just tried to kill me!" Amanda, checking for dust on the table, "Who hasnt???"

Newman was really good when they let him act in his own style. I do remember much of the Rauch years they would try to make him more over the top..I guess to show his "passion," but it didnt work and he would grit his teeth and scream and it was weird. Newman was especially good with the younger cast and very gentle and supportive in his scenes. He should have gotten an award just for trying to work with Marty West! I know everyone else complained about her, but I loved Poser's Amanda. I know she would have worked better as another character, (with her exotic looks she should have been from another branch of the Spauldings. I thought Cullen's Amanda was such a drip, I loved Poser's vamp..but she could also do quiet well when they would let her. If they had just explained why Amanda was now so out there and the change from her mousy past. I thought MOL and the Abby actress worked quite well together. Too bad they didn't keep them together..(and too bad he became a bloated fool later.)

They should have just written Jenna and Buzz out together with a happy ending. Actually at that time they should have wrote Matt and Vannessa out to and then had her come back a while later Matt-less.

Actually, I thought Bob and Kim were the center of the show right up to the very end. I think that they both provided a more vital role then Chris and Nancy did post 79...as they both kept working, and werent regulated to just serving coffee. True, their airtime was cut down but they never disappeared for months at a time like Lisa. I also don't really want to see Bob or Kim having affairs, Plus, if you compare them to what GL did to the Bauers and their older people. I agree that not expanding the Hughes family was stupid. Bringing back Frannie and Sabrina (played by different actresses please) and having Sabrina be the problem member of the family (it was getting old having Babs be the pain in the ass all the time.) My main complaint was that damn pink suit they had poor Kathy Hays wear day in and day out. This is well to do woman, and that is all she has?

Again, I thought I was the only one who thought that MKA looked too old to play India (who was saw have her 21st birthday) in the 80s. Funny that later on she looked fine as she didnt change much, so it worked when she was older. The Four Musketeers were really thrown off not only with the recast but with Pam Long leaving and the whole change in tone of the show. Close friendships and realtionships were thrown out for action adventure and tyring to be like Dallas lite. Rick and Phillip did have a scene where, beleive it or not, they talked about whore houses..(this is when Roxie had a very stupid split personaltiy of Rosie and gone to live in a whore house...yea, that was what GL became. at that time...) Anyway, Rick is trying to pump info from Phillip on how a whore house works (which is implied that he visits high class prostitutes) and Phillip lears about Rick going to one. It was creepy and weird.