Loving/The City Discussion Thread

[Vee]

That scene where Ava talks about what Stacey meant to her may be the best work I've ever seen from Lisa Peluso. Very real.

 

I've loved Lisa Lo Cicero since LOV/TC but I can't remember a thing about Jocelyn's backstory. I certainly had forgotten she was a lawyer.

[dc11786]

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This is the episode with the Buck / Stacey montage. It's a little longer than the one from one Stacey died. 

[OzFrog]

 

I love that they kept the same kid who played JJ for before and after Stacey’s murder. Definitely provided for some great consistency and drama.

 

And thanks to everyone who helped provide the Buck backstory and confirmed he was Trucker’s brother. Did they delve much into their relationship on the show?

 

 

 

I knew LLC was on the show, but was actually surprised to learn that Jocelyn was Danny’s sister. And yes completely agree about Ava talking about Stacey. I had watched some 1991 episodes a while ago during Ava’s time in the Paul/Carly storyline and observed just how overly neurotic she was then. It seems like her relationship with Alex helps to temper those neuroses a fair bit, and it does come across in these Murder episodes that she has grown up to an extent..

[OzFrog]

 

OMG I’m watching this all for the first time, and seeing Buck on my screen awakens DILF feelings in me. I almost just want him to sweep me up in his arms and protect me.

 

Also, Chris Marcantel. I thought Lisa Peluso playing Ava was neurotic AF, but him playing Curtis is off the scale. And I cannot help but be drawn to it, in a similar way to Buck, but this time I want to be the one to sweep him up in my arms and tell him everything’s going to be ok. He projects vulnerability so well. I find it kind of neat that he was the first AND last actor to play Curtis on the show (after the million and one recasts). Are there any early Loving videos out there from when he originated the role?

[Vee]

I always felt Eric Nelsen playing A.J. on AMC 2.0 - a revival Agnes was heavily involved in crafting - was the same archetype as Marcantel/Curtis and others she'd cast and created: The poor, sensitive little rich boy with damage, played by an unconventionally attractive actor the networks would've taken issue with. IIRC it was Agnes who brought Marcantel back almost a decade later.

 

The kid playing J.J. is Geoff Wigdor, who went on to play HIV-positive Eli on Claire Labine's OLTL in '97. He left that show to do Sleepers with Brad Pitt, where he was one of several abused boys. Last thing I remember him in was the deeply bizarre Neil Jordan film In Dreams with Annette Bening, in which he played the young version of Robert Downey Jr.'s crossdressing?/transgender? psychopath.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Vee

[AdelaideCate007]

Wow, I haven't seen the murders storyline I guess since it aired. My family watched Loving but I don't remember many of the stories so these old episodes and summaries are really fun. I remember all the AMC characters and then of course people like Stacey, Ava, Ally, Gwyn, and all them but it's cool to see people and characters I'd forgotten about. It's sad it never took off like it should have because it was definitely at leas interesting and had a great group of characters and actors.

 

Honestly, other than the murders, the only storylines that I really remember are Faison chasing Jeremy and Ava around Universal Studios, Jeremy and Ceara moving to Corinth (with Ceara promptly getting shot and killed), and that storyline that crossed over with AMC where Dinah Lee was running away from her abusive ex-boyfriend and stayed at Myrtle's. I think Trevor and Jack from AMC also appeared on Loving at some point too? Idk.

 

I loved Lisa Peluso on the last few years of Another World and when she was randomly on OLTL for a hot minute. What ever happened to her? 

 

[OzFrog]

 

From a few months ago...

 

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[slick jones]

Christopher Marcantel recently joined my FB soap opera group. Among the things he's commented on were meeting Lisa Peluso when he appeared as "Bobby Frye" on SFT. He also had warm comments about Antonia Rey (Rosa ATWT). 

Oh my....Antonia! I worked with her on stage in Craig Lucas' "Missing Persons". She also graciously read a role in the staged reading of a play I wrote, "Ms. Gaard". I'm sorry to see she has passed.

 

I  just left him a message about the Loving Murders in a post there. Hopefully he'll share thoughts about the Loving  stories he performed in.

[DRW50]

 

My main memory was that tacky story on The City where she was revealed to be turning tricks because of abuse or something. 

 

He seems to be a realtor now. 

 

His work in this episode was very good...the part where he realizes Buck is no longer going to be around (telling him he's the man of the house) is a scene that would not have been effective without a strong actor in the part. 

 

The episode was mostly a lot of Emoting to cover a somewhat padded set of scenes, but still, it was effective emoting. I was probably most interested in the Shana and Leo material. Shana as a new mother to a special needs child as well as acting as a lawyer provided so many story possibilities, instead of just removing her from the show. 

[SFK]

 

Jocelyn went on to be Sydney's lawyer in The City where it was revealed that she was a former call girl and mistress who was being bribed back into the life by an old John. I have a scene somewhere on my soap YouTube channel where she comes clean to Sydney that she'd had an affair with one of Sydney's business associates; another scene where she's getting all tarted up to go turn a trick. #sexworkiswork

[SFK]

 

If they didn't read soap mags, or whizzed past promos during commercial breaks, I'm guessing many non-Loving AMC fans had no clue. They made no mention of Jeremy's death on AMC iirc, but on Loving, they did give Gwyn the throwaway line that Erica Kane had called offering her condolences. 

 

(When Deborah Brewster got a shot at later in life modeling, she made the meta comment about becoming a model, "... just like Erica Kane on All My Children!" But I digress...)

Edited April 15, 2020 by SFK

[victoria foxton]

I've been crushing on Curtis and Buck as well. Here's a clip from Chris's first run as Curtis. He appears 2 mins in.

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[SFK]

 

I just assumed they were making room for Morgan Fairchild. And while Steffi was pregnant, I don't think the show was at all interested in having a thirtysomething mother of young children living in 212 Greene St. with the rest of the characters. We got Angie and Jacob fostering Kayla for a time, but that's a different dynamic. The City was all about "chosen family" with the majority of characters starting fresh/striking out on their own in the city with no blood ties on the canvas. Of course the show was criticised for this and we've yet to see it on another daytime soap.

 

Tess was set up as Sydney's foil, and Tess' modeling agency in Sydney's building provided a convenient backdrop for glamor and conflict... Tess, a thorn, literally under Syddy's feet. An hour-long show like AW is a perfect example of handling a diva-heavy cast (Rachel, Felicia, Donna, and Iris all driving story at once), not sure there was room for Loving's leading lady Lisa (alliteration noted) who'd certainly be expected to take on a lesser role to The City's explicit star, Morgan.

[Vee]

To this day I don't get why they bothered porting Steffi over to TC when she left two months in. Was it a promotional misdirect to try and hook viewers? Were they hoping Heinle would re-sign?

 

I don't remember what happened to Brianna, who's better here than I remember. The stuff with her and Alimi Ballard's Frankie is remarkably fun and sexy for young black characters, all often neutered today. I also remember quite a swooning finish with Lorraine and Charles reuniting - I don't recall the details on their breakup when she moved to TC for Nick.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Vee

[Khan]

Philip Brown (a.k.a. Buck) will remain my number-one soap crush forever.

That is all.