Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[Wendy]

That pic sort of harkens back to Annie Lennox, too.

[amybrickwallace]

She does indeed look like Annie Lennox, now that you mention it...

[j swift]

Here's my essential SB question:  After a review of the first 12 months of the show, do you think the Dobsons knew who killed Channing when they first pitched the story?  Or do you think the killer's identity evolved/changed due to the popularity of the cast?  

 

Edited May 5, 2019 by j swift

[amybrickwallace]

 

I don't know what it was that they had in mind. It just got so convoluted after awhile. Joe himself had been killed months before the reveal, which made it seem hollow.

 

However, I liked the reenactment party organized by Cruz. It was clearly inspired by the board game Clue. That was fun, and the whole rest of the story was...meh.

[j swift]

As much as I don't enjoy old full episodes, for some reason, I got pulled into watching ep 198-200 today.  It is the introduction of Julia, right after Augusta is blinded in the tunnel collapse.  

 

The first thing that struck me was the forgotten character of Jackie Parks, Ted's teacher at Lyman Academy and Amy's friend from childhood.  Jackie had an inappropriate relationship with Ted when she became his confidant during his break up with Laken.  In ep198, they are asleep in Mason's apartment after talking all night.  Jackie has a flashback to being told that her husband died in the Navy (oddly the flashback took place in the Lockridge living room).  Ted consoles her and against Mason's wishes drives her home in ep 199.  Then, like all other non-essential SB characters, she disappeared.  It is odd enough that Mason has no interactions with Julia when she first hits town, but it is especially odd to have so much focus on this character, in her final two episodes, only to be totally forgotten a week later. 

 

Eden and Cruz want to have sex but everyone keeps bothering them about the Channing murder investigation so they put up a sign on the front door to go away.  They're not shown but Warren, Maggie, and Santana all comment on the sign, which was funny.

 

Santana #2 (Margaret Micheals) and Gina #1 (Linda Gibboney) are remarkably alike.  They both play their roles with constant tension and neuroticism.  It is a shame that neither had a talk-to who could calm them and help them focus,  They are both a hair trigger away from nuts and it is some big 80s hair.

 

 Warren and Lionel were the most charismatic father-son duo in daytime.  Their wardrobe is so chic compared to CC, who always looks dressed for yachting, and Mason, whose suits did not fit well.  They both do this hand gesture across their face when being coy with women.  I will never understand why Sophia didn't pursue anything with Lionel, except for that time when their makeout tape got erased by Santa Clause, but that's Santa Barbara...

[chrisml]

 SB always had so many loose ends and they never cared to address them. As fantastic as the show could be, it's maddening how they will drop secondary characters or even contract players. In a way, they would do the telenovela format where a storyline would run for 12 weeks and then it'd just fizzle out (The Laura/Michael/Leo Mitchell stuff some immediately to mind) or they'd get rid of the character (Sandra the psychic). Did they ever tell a long-term storyline that lasted about six month and that didn't fizzle out or become confusing (Channing's murder for ex.)?

[BetterForgotten]

Man, Patrick Mulcahey does not hide his dislike for Jackie Smith and John Conboy, lol.

 

 

[Wendy]

 

Good for him. He was one of the best damned writers that show ever had.

[BetterForgotten]

Not only this show, but GL and GH too.

[Faulkner]

He also has often done brilliant work on B&B. He really raises the bar on that dire show. He’s such a fascinating man IRL too.

[BetterForgotten]

On B&B, you can always tell what episodes are written by him and Michele Val Jean because everyone else is not up to par...

[Khan]

Patrick Mulcahey is too good for what daytime has become.  Someone needs to hire him to write for primetime, cable or streaming series.

[Faulkner]

Better yet. I’d love to see him create his own thing. Like an adult, sexy, smart gay series.

[Khan]

That would be good.  Could someone get in touch with some LGBTQ-friendly network and convince them to offer Mulcahey a deal?

[Faulkner]

Netflix seems to be in the business of gay these days, with Tales From the City, Special, etc. I would love to see PM do a American response to what Russell T Davies did in the U.K. with Cucumber but with less self-loathing. A gay series about men of a certain age.