The Doctors Discussion Thread

[Soaplovers]

 

The August 3rd and 4th episodes continue the fall out of Joan Dancy's death with some great acting/scenes featuring Maggie, Penny, Jerry, and Nola.

 

I did love that the show remembered that Toni and MJ were still in the cast and that they had the talk about the elephant in the room between them (Alan).  

[MichaelGL]

It seems like NBC has poured plenty of money into the show with the revamp of the hospital, Matt's office, and the Conrads set as well. 

[MonaCroft]

Does anybody know the backstory of why they temporarily replaced Jennifer Houlton as Greta in 1976?   The one filling in was an incredibly weak actress.   

[Chris B]

By the time the show reaches 1976, how old is Greta? I’m in June 1970 and she’s still a child, but I’ve seen episodes from the end where she’s an adult. I must say I’m really enjoying the show now. It was terribly dull with Ira Avery by himself, but the pacing is better with the new Co-HW and things are actually happening now. I will say as much as I love Virginia Vestoff, I’m ready for her to go in hopes we get some sort of rest before Liz Hubbard returns. I just can’t take how pathetic they write Althea. 

[robbwolff]

I've heard mixed stories. One account was that Jennifer Reilly was a permanent replacement. She only last 2-3 episodes. She was painful to watch, especially in today's episode. She wasn't looking at her acting partner at times, but at the cue cards.

In today's episode (aired in August 1976), Greta was said to be 16 years old. Vestoff leaves around May/June 1970 and Hubbard returns in October.

[Paul Raven]

Jennifer Reilly was  a disaster. She stumbled over her lines, missed cues, looked at cue cards and had no physical or vocal nuance.

I actually felt sorry for the poor girl.

She probably was carried off the set mumbling incoherently...

[Soaplovers]

Didn't they audition the actress before casting her as Greta?  I will assume no.

[MonaCroft]

Thanks for the intel.   Yes, this poor girl was in way over her head.   I looked her up on IMDB and she never did anything else.   No surprise.

[robbwolff]

Actually, there's scuttlebutt on a Facebook soap group that Reilly appeared on The Brady Bunch.

[Paul Raven]

Carol Pfander (Cathy Ryker) resurfaced in 1982 as co host of a proposed once a week series Soap Opera Recap ( a half hour summary of the week's stories) 

That show never got off the ground.

[MichaelGL]

Despite Margaret DePriest's faults as a writer, I can honestly say the show is pretty entertaining now(IMO it hasn't been this way since the height of the Pollacks tenure). I love how the Dancy storyline is involving much of the cast. 

Edited September 8, 2018 by MichaelGL

[Soaplovers]

 

I'm with you, I wonder what changed with Depriest because her later stints differed quite a bit from this one.

 

In the latest uploads, we got mention of Jason Aldrich..so it looks like the ground work is being laid out for his return.

 

I wonder had depriest stayed if the Dancys would have remained..or if they were meant to only be around as a unit till the Joan Dancy story resolved.

[victoria foxton]

 

I agree with you guys. The tailend of DePriest's run is really good. I always found her work to be a mixed bag. I love how Joan's death engulfed the whole town. I hate seeing how Matt, the Dancy's and even Stacy are suffering. Thanks to Paul. But it makes for riveting soapy drama. When Stacy was singing Amazing Grace a camera man was coughing

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Edited September 9, 2018 by victoria foxton

[NothinButAttitude]

Catching up and finally, Lew and Sara have arrived. I can't wait to hear @vetsoapfan @DRW50 @MichaelGL @Paul Raven @Khan @Vee @Chris B thoughts on their return. 

 

Of the Dance kids, I am finding myself intrigued by Lew and Nola. I can just tell that once they are fleshed out, those 2 are going to create such chaos to the people of Madison. 

 

Does Lew continue to be a gigolo/love rat throughout his run on the show? If so, I don't blame the writers b/c Robert Frank Telfer does exude sex appeal. I can totally buy rich women flocking to him. 

 

Also, were the writers entertaining Nola/Matt? I find Matt (as of late) being more attracted to Nola than he is Maggie. Does anyone think that the writers were going the route of him having a midlife crisis, and Nola being his "haven" of some sort? 

 

Stacy continues to be a simp though I find her to be intriguing (and frustrating). I can totally buy her being an inexperience, frigid late bloomer, who becomes d*ckmatized by Paul. 

 

I just find this show to be so refreshing and filling my soap void.

[Paul Raven]

Lew continues his sleazy ways for some time,juggling 2 older women on the show.

 

At some point in the writer merry go round coming up Lew becomes Luke and a much more upstanding citizen.

I wonder if the name change is part of him cleaning up his act?

 

So DePriest introduced all of the Dacys except Barney. There was earlier discussion about this.

 

 

De Priest is hinting at Matt/Nola as you suggest but Marland arrives soon and stories/motivations change.

 

Marland said in hindsight he should have wrapped up the Joan/pull the plug story straight away but he was too inexperienced to realize at the time that if a story is not working, better to ditch it quickly and move on.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Paul Raven