The Doctors

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

Spoiler...ahead...I thought Julie's death was a real low point. I didn't like the way they chose to have her die. It was very contrived and unnecessary. After I watched the episode where she was fatally injured and rushed to the hospital I was glad there would be a change in head writer soon afterward.

Edited August 21, 2018 by JarrodMFiresofLove

[Chris B]

I’m looking forward to seeing how they get there. I saw the episode where she died about a year ago. So far I haven’t seen Greta who also featured into that stuff. 

 

So I do have a couple other questions. Is Greta Matt and Maggie’s daughter? And with Mike, who is his mother?

[slick jones]

Mike's mother is the late Grace Powers. Greta is the child of Maggie and her second husband, Kurt Van Allen.   

 

Grace's sister Ellie appears in 1973. She's Dr. Alan Stewart's (Gil Gerard) mother, played by Patricia Wheel.

 

Kurt Van Allen was portrayed by Byron Sanders in 1964-65

[jam6242]

I loathed the story with Maggie and The Boy.  I haven't liked her as much since then.  I loved Greta's rabbit story, partly because it's the first one I really remembered seeing when I originally watched.  Eileen Kearney was great turning into a bad seed.  I think Avery's co-writer was on board for that one.

[victoria foxton]

Julie was a fascinating character. They should've kept her. I enjoyed her teaming up with  Nurse Buckley against Carolee. I might be mistaken but i think it was the Pollock's that killed Julie when they took over. Julie was a fun bad girl.  Who's potential was squandered. Matt and Maggie never knew what a little witch she was

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[Chris B]

Interesting! Glad Grace wasn’t completely forgotten if her sister appears. Also shows great restraint that they never have the Powers a love child of their own. 

 

I like Maggie but the actual boy is annoying and this is another one I feel isn’t going to go anywhere. 

 

Also i co-sign all the Julie love. She is a blast!

[robbwolff]

Avery and Silverman killed off Julie. It was in late August/early September 1970. The Pollocks didn't arrive until October. The Pollocks wrap up the story and Eileen Kearney gives an amazing performance as the truth comes out. I would have loved to see what Eileen would have done with Greta as the character grew up.

 

Julie was all over the map during her one year on the show. She went from seemingly unbalanced to a bad girl, then was somewhat redeemed before she went back to her scheming ways. 

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

What about the original Rico? Anyone like him? I prefer the recast from 75-76.

[Soaplovers]

 

The original Rico was more hot headed like Nick, and I liked that he worked at the lab helping Martha out.  I didn't get killing Julie off since a Julie/Mike/Rico focusing would have been interesting.  I heard somewhere that there was going to be a long trial for Rico killing Julie.. but when the Pollock's took over.. they resolved the story within a few months and had Rico move back to Chicago to start over.   

 

I liked that the Pollock's played the fall out of the Rabbit story with Greta seeking help from Dr. John Morrison (and he lasted quite awhile on the show).

 

In Avery's defense, a lot of the early 1970 stuff was a set up for a possible spin off that never came to pass.. though I do think one or two of the nurses featured could have been kept on.

 

@Chris B I also liked Anna.. and she lasts till near the end of the year.. and she has a two episode send off.

[victoria foxton]

I liked him. He was rough around the edges. But he was a nice kid. Besides the Julie story. In Rico's last story. A creepy thug Eddie Duveen from his past made Rico steal drugs from the hospital. Eddie then shot Rico in the head . Nick successfully operated on his nephew. Once young Rico recovered he left town. The actor that played Rico Richard Niles was very good in the role. 

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Edited August 22, 2018 by victoria foxton

[robbwolff]

 

I much preferred Richard Niles in the role than Chandler Hill Harben. Harben lacked the intensity and edge that Niles had as Rico.

 

I wonder if Julie was meant to go over to the spinoff. She was set up as quite a schemer and a foil to Carolee. I also wonder how Avery would have gotten Steve over to the spinoff. During the winter of 1970, Steve had split from Carolee and was pursuing Althea. He was hardly in Carolee's orbit at that time.

[Soaplovers]

 

Someone on here awhile back said it would have made sense to have Armand Assange play Rico and Chandler playing Mike... I agree with that.

 

 

[JarrodMFiresofLove]

 

I think I prefer Harben's interpretation because it's NOT the intense edgy let's channel Marlon Brando in STREETCAR and WATERFRONT type performance. It's refreshingly subdued. Also I think when Niles played it, he was too much a mini-Nick. In mid-1975 Nick was off the show on a long sabbatical so Rico could be his own different kind of character, independent from Nick.

[dc11786]

 

Maggie had at least one miscarriage while married to Matt in 1981. I think she may have had another in the late 1970s or early 1980s. 

[Khan]

I wouldn't have minded Armand Assante as Rico.  Especially because it was during the mid-to-late '70's and you had big-name, high-energy and decidedly ethnic actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino playing ethnic roles in iconic movies like "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Taxi Driver."  Assante brought some of that to TD and to daytime; and having him portray Rico, rather than Mike, would have better exploited that quality.

 

But I don't think I could buy Chandler Hill Harben in ANY role.  IDK why, but he doesn't captivate me as a viewer.

Edited August 23, 2018 by Khan