Santa Barbara Discussion Thread

[robbwolff]

Ravens, like Brennan Reeves, is from New Jersey. His father was a physician at the then Rutgers Medical School. My late Aunt Mary worked with Dr. Ravens. There was a lot of press in NJ when Brennan and Ravens were cast on Santa Barbara. I believe Ravens was in his late 20s when he was cast.

[Marissa Gallant]

That's an awesome memory. 

 

[Marissa Gallant]

Oh, the dilemma, CC just fell into a coma, Gina tried to kick Sophia out. I want to watch the episodes until Jed Allen, but I also want to skip ahead to Jed Allen! 

[Liberty City]

She is pretty, yes, and had the eternal ingenue look going on, a-la Genie Francis' Laura, but it kept her locked into a specific role for Kelly.

Keep on those episodes. A lot happened that should not be missed, in my humbled opinion.

[Marissa Gallant]

Oh, I will. I just needed to admit that the temptation is there. Gina's screeching was driving me bonkers. I have moments of liking her or at least tolerating her. Even occasionally feeling sorry for her. But the first couple of episodes after the stroke, too screechy. Until Sophia put her in her place. 

[Liberty City]

Yeah. That is part of why I disliked the Gina recast. I do believe Linda Gibboney would've handled those scenes differently, and with a hint of vulnerable insecurity.

[dc11786]

From the limited episdoes I've seen of that period, Robin Mattson's Gina doesn't really gel under the Dobsons until they introduced Lily Light. Gibboney and Mattson played them so differently. Anne Howard Bailey taking over the writing really benefitted Mattson. Mattson's Gina worked well with Justin Deas' Keith, and it was under Bailey that they really succeeded as a couple.

I didn't hate the stuff with Michael Conrad and Gina, but I'm not sure they could have gone much farther than they did with that couple. I wish the Lily stuff had gone on longer. 

[Marissa Gallant]

Gina is such a delusional nitwit! Argh. I can't stand her. She's actually standing beside CC's coma bed bragging about being in love with Mason. Sophia obviously didn't slap her hard enough the last time! Come one Sophie- hit her again. Just once for me, please. Pretty please?

I did enjoy Mason and Mary singing though. So cute.

I think I enjoy watching the Contessa smack people more than I should. Lol

It's gonna be a long 78 episodes to Jed Allen...

[Liberty City]

Gina vs. Sophia was a nice rivalry... but Augusta vs. Sophia is where it should've been at.

[Marissa Gallant]

I couldn't agree with this more! That would have been so incredible. We got snippets of a rivalry there, but not enough. I even liked their pseudo truce during the cancer. 

[Soaplovers]

Gina (with Linda G playing her) vs Eden was pretty good...both of them handing one another some hard truths.

Not too long after Robin Mattson takes over as Gina..does Gina vs Eden lose steam.

I think Mattson struggled in her early months because she was playing a story arc that started with her predecessor...and the story no longer fit once Mattson took over.

Once Keith comes on in mid 1986 and paired with Gina is when Mattson starts shining in the role.  

I was watching Gina G's first episodes as Santana..and she wasn't so whiny and desperate.   I think the writing changed for her character once Mattson took over as Gina..imho.

[j swift]

It seems like hyperbole to say he was a non-entity from day one because there were certainly a lot of story opportunities given to Warren that didn't pan out.  Including his Oedipal-like relationship with Augusta,  the sunken treasure, he was a murder suspect in Channing's death, and his newspaper. 

As I mentioned previously, there was clearly some chemistry testing with Eden when she parachuted into his front yard.   And, he has this very amusing scene with Minx in the first month of shows where he is applying body oil in the living room, she urges him to get a real job, and he mentions some investors who want to open a new beach club.  I am no fan of Maggie-the-cop (to this day I think her husband's catatonia was actually just a response to being bored to death by her), but those scenes of her sweaty fantasies of a shirtless Warren changing a tire were promo-ed for weeks.

For me there are two key missed opportunities (1) Summer, connecting Gina in with the Lockridges thru her sister had a lot of potential.  Warren could have helped Gina fight the Capwells and used his newspaper to garner support.  Lilly/Ted were a pale retconned comparison to Summer/Warren. (2) Santana, looking back it is odd that they never paired Santana and Warren.  They were the same age, considering that Warren and Channing were friends from school.  It would have established that Santana had a type, sons of rich guys.  Santana could have used a stable relationship with Warren in order to gain custody of Brandon.  A Warren/Santana/Cruz/Eden quad seems like a natural fit within the SB ecosystem.  And it would have avoided those creepy CC and Santana workout scenes.

Edited July 21, 2021 by j swift

[amybrickwallace]

Cool, I never knew all that.

[Marissa Gallant]

They did try with Warren. Summer Blake could have been better and more tied into both families, you are correct. I tried to connect to Maggie, but I can't. The catatonic husband isn't enough to make me forget that she is why Joe died. And she really was a sad sack on the show. I would have given her 10 million to go away. Warren and Eva Lazar would have been good. 

Every time that I start to forget creepy CC 2, someone mentions it again and I want to start scrubbing my eyes all over again. Like seriously, I think that's the one thing we all agree on! Lol

[Liberty City]

And it's because of Louise Sorel's displeasure with the directions they kept taking Augusta, and I cannot blame her. How TPTB kept letting Sorel walk is beyond me. She is paramount to the canvas. It should have been Augusta and C.C. having a relationship, not C.C. and Gina, in my opinion.

Oh, yes... Eden vs. Gina was golden, and I think it was because Eden is truly a hybrid of C.C. and Sophia, and a good match for Gina.

I don't think it was necessary Robin Mattson's fault for struggling... she walked in during a major storyline, and it almost felt like when Linda Gibboney's Gina run up the stairs crying she walked down (via Mattson) ready to dominate. It felt disconnected.

The writing for both Gina and Santana changed drastically once each role was recast, especially Santana... each actor really had a different conceptualized version of the role, and not a single one matched that of Ava Lazar. I just watched an episode with Wanda deJesus... and it was not Santana, at all.