Loving/The City Discussion Thread

[Vee]

I think it was meant to distinguish him from his very well-known role on OLTL as Carlo/Mortimer.

[amybrickwallace]

I know, but they surely could have found a better wig!

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[Forever8]

Lauren Marie Taylor (Stacey Donovan Forbes) Throwback Thursday via IG. 

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[Vee]

I did not recognize James Carroll, who's much more attractive here than on the show - or maybe I just disliked Leo that much in the eps online. Woo, the '90s fashions!

[Franko]

I had to double check that none of them were wearing a fanny pack.

[amybrickwallace]

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[Kane]

A late 1989 episode featuring Marianne Tatum as Gwyneth:

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[FrenchBug82]

If anything the physical resemblance with Christine Tudor is uncanny.

[dc11786]

Leo Burnell, like so many characters on “Loving,” was only interesting depending on who was writing for him. Leo was introduced in the summer of 1992 shortly after Haidee Granger assumed the EP title from Fran Sears. Rumor is that Granger and headwriter Addie Walsh fought over the direction of the show and Walsh departed while Granger ghostwrote. Walsh was credited until January 1993 so who knows what really happened. Leo’s origin remains questionable as a result. I tend to suspect that Leo might have originally been intended to be a Curtis Alden recast, but that’s pure speculation on my part.

Anyway, Leo was introduced in August 1992 as the mysterious owner of Burnell’s department store who had been lusting after Ava Rescott, recently employed as a manager at the department store. When we met Leo, it was revealed he had been an overweight nerd who had been in love with Ava while they were in high school together. As a result, Leo had created Burnell’s. None of this backstory made a lot of sense. Burnell’s had been an established entity in the “Loving” universe since January 1984. It was also a division of AE. A more realistic backstory would have been to reveal that Leo’s family had established Burnell’s years earlier, but had been swindled in business by the Aldens or had lost the business to the Aldens because of poor business dealings. Also, if the Burnell family had established the store there could have been internal conflict about Leo not meeting the physical standard of beauty given that the Burnell name was synonymous with fashion and beauty.

Later in the year, October or November 1992, it was revealed Leo was also in cahoots with Clay Alden to buy up Alden Enterprises stock after Clay learned his father was horse trainer, Tim Sullivan, and was determined to destroy AE to get back at his mother Isabelle for passing him off as Cabot Alden’s son in order to secure a legacy for Clay. Leo was involved in some silver smuggling deal.

When Robert Guza and Millee Taggert take over in January 1993, Leo becomes a much more complex character. He becomes much more chauvinistic (I believe tied to his self esteem issues) and plagued with money issues (explaining his role in both the silver deal and his unholy alliance with Clay). I liked Guza and Taggert’s Leo. I thought the pairing of Leo and Shana was unique and had the potential to allow both characters to play on their best and worst traits. Ava as the third wheel worked well.

Taggert and Guza gave each Leo and Shana separate motives for the baby contract: (1) Shana was looking to restart her life after losing Jim and Jimmy years earlier and (2) Leo’s money problems had escalated to the point where he was on the verge of losing Burnell’s. Add in Ava’s motivation (she didn’t want to be alone after a string of failed relationships) and you had a solid story. Shana securing the funding for Burnell’s in exchange for Leo’s sperm was an interesting plot that played on the best (and worst) of Guza and Taggert. I also suspect that Guza and Taggert were reusing elements of the Mason and Julia baby contract, but with a stronger third wheel in the role of Ava.

I appreciate that the show would switch the story focus between the three characters. Either Ava was scheming to keep Leo by her side, or Shana was trying to get pregnant, or Leo was acting to try and keep the department store afloat. The twist with the baby having developmental issues was a nice way to bond Shana and Leo. When that emotional drama settled, Leo defaulted on the loan and Shana assumed control of Burnell’s. The next step of the story was suppose to have Shana and Ava fighting over the day to day operations at Burnells, but Nixon stepped in in September 1993 and scrapped all that.

Nixon had little use for Shana and Leo. Under Nixon, Leo struggled to accept that Patti might have developmental issues. This put some strain on the Shana and Leo’s relationship. The problem was that Nixon introduced several new story elements (Angie / Charles’ relationship, the ad agency) without really removing any story so Leo and Shana were sidelined and the entire Burnell’s aspect of their story was dumped.  

Personally, I think they should have continued the tension between Shana and Leo regarding Burnell’s. I also would have brought in someone from Leo’s past who claimed their child was Leo’s. Leo would bond with the new family until it was revealed that Leo was in fact not the father of this child, but, because the child was healthy, Leo continued to bond with the child. I would have allowed this tension to be the straw that broke the back of Shana and Leo which would have led to Leo and Shana splitting. If this had played out around summer of 1994, I would have slowly paired Shana and Alex, at first friendly, and later romantic after Alex and Ava came to blows over Ava’s refusal to return AE to the Aldens. Shana and Alex would have worked together to get AE back, while Ava would have found solace from Curtis while Clay was playing both sides. Of course, after Shana and Alex were closer, Leo’s former love interest would have run off leaving Leo to raise this child and Leo trying to get back in Shana’s good graces.

***

I know this will be unpopular, but I find the Trisha / Trucker / Jeff stuff so unimaginative. It seems like something you'd find on "Days of our Lives" in the same time period. I thought the initial Jeff stuff was appealing when he was a selfish son of privilege looking to strike out on his own and build a name for himself while flirting with both Trisha and Gwyn. By the time Richard Steinmetz takes over, something goes in a different direction and Jeff goes from complicated romantic lead to romantic antagonist once they introduce Trucker McKenzie, who seemed like an attempt to retell the Trisha / Steve Sowolsky storyline. 

I do like elements of the Rick / Stacey / Jack stuff, but it would have all gone down a lot smoother if they had just cast Ron Nummi as Curtis Alden. 

Very little from Taggert / King interests me until Kate's cancer and Paul / Ava become a couple under Jacquie Babbin's run as EP. 

[victoria foxton]

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Edited November 3, 2021 by victoria foxton

[FrenchBug82]

See. I have rewatched some of these episodes since they have been recently posted and maybe my brain farted at the exact same time it did on the first watch thirty years ago but I once again found myself confused why Shana wanted LEO's sperm specifically, especially since she didn't like him at that time.
I understand that she had something to lord over him but why not go through a more regular process with an anonymous donor, you know, without the complications? Was it because she wanted it to go fast and doing it directly like this (which involves a lot of unrealistic logistics) would go faster? Would it really though?
Was there any explicit reason why she wanted HIS or was it, as I suspect, a plot convenience that was explained away with a throwaway line?

[Kane]

That's why she wanted it to be him, because she didn't like him so she thought there was no risk of emotional involvement. She also liked his ambition and his intelligence (and his hair) and wanted those qualities for her child, but the fact that she hated Leo was was his primary selling point.

[FrenchBug82]

Hum. Seems like a flimsy reason to pick a father of your child - I mean his hair was great but...

The story once it got going was fine and I liked that triangle but I always wished for a slightly more solid reason for her to pick him at the outset considering the enormous obvious complications it would bring. 

[amybrickwallace]

That's an interesting selling point! How did the fans receive Shana/Leo?

[John]

This was Dec 1989, Marianne was subbing for Christine

When did Elizabeth Savage take over as Gwyn