Whoa...Kate Collins appeared at Natalie while Robin Mattson appeared as Janet? I had no idea that happened.

Yes, because Robin's Janet had plastic surgery to look like a brand new person. This was when AMC spent years reforming the character and adding layers to her. Then, of course, McTavish had to ruin it all by bringing Janet back in the form of Kate Collins and making it seem as if Janet had never reformed.

I don't care if Kate Collins originated the role, Robin Mattson will ALWAYS be Janet to me. She was the Janet I loved, sympathized with, and watched for. She brought a whole new dimension to that character and AMC, during the divine Lorraine Broderick tenure, spent years trying to make that character normal. It's a shame that's all gone to hell...

And pyshcofan, Robin can play a good psycho/bitch, she's done it in many of her other soap roles.

Yes, because Robin's Janet had plastic surgery to look like a brand new person. This was when AMC spent years reforming the character and adding layers to her. Then, of course, McTavish had to ruin it all by bringing Janet back in the form of Kate Collins and making it seem as if Janet had never reformed.

I don't care if Kate Collins originated the role, Robin Mattson will ALWAYS be Janet to me. She was the Janet I loved, sympathized with, and watched for. She brought a whole new dimension to that character and AMC, during the divine Lorraine Broderick tenure, spent years trying to make that character normal. It's a shame that's all gone to hell...

And pyshcofan, Robin can play a good psycho/bitch, she's done it in many of her other soap roles.

Janet was fun, played by Robin and she could play crazy but nice as well..........

Jennifer Bassey as Marian has probaly never had so much to do like this year, same goes for Stuart & Opal.

Brooke was on more than Erica that also is something special, has it happened another year.

And if anyone knows who played Angela, Raquel Dion the newcomer who had a son with Mateo, her sister Angela.

"!!!!!!!!!!.........??????????"

Yeah that's why I never bought the line that McT was behind Brooke having nothing to do--I think Fronz and co froze her out...

At the time many were mad cuz Broderick had been starting an Ester (was that her name?) stuart relationship but I think ultimately McT's pairing with Marian worked--one of her few big successes in that period

Was 1998 when Ryan was introduced?>>>>

Yes it was and it was one of few storylines McTavish did right that year (Ryan/Gillian). Her other successes were minimal but they were Adam/Liza, Stuart/Marian, Brooke's trial, Tad/Dixie, and if you want to count Hayley/Mateo not being married and Raquel's introduction then do it (I Found it a good story but bad timing since Hayley/Mateo had been tortured enough that year)

Balance was so great in 1998 even though that was a tough year for them.

Yes while 1998 did suck, you did see veterans in storylines

I think it's funny that we saw Maria's ghost...and she came back to life.

Could it work with Dixie again? lol

Yeah they usually ignore that aspect. I just found an early proteus episode I had from when Passanante's stuff was still being finished (no HWers credited) and I forgot how infestedwith ghosts Pine Valley was--we had Jesse's ghost haunting Tad for no real reason offering him cryptic clues, Gillian's ghost had finally left, etc

Yes while 1998 did suck, you did see veterans in storylines

Right which probably goes to show that much of the naming of characters McT wrote for was actually done by Frons who asked to emphasize the younger ones

McT wrote for the vets yes, but my goodness were they some bad bad storylines. I mean Palmer hiing the nazi art work, that deserves a couple wtfs?

I was just gonna mention the Nazi art stuff LOL So random!

McT is random to a tee. I still think she got the idea from a Simpsons episode that aired around the same time

Grandpa Simpson and his troops founjd some Nazi art work and stole it.

It was very similar.