Generations Discussion Thread

[j swift]

At the finale, it was implied/almost revealed that Chanel was the daughter from an affair between Ruth Marshall and Peter Whitmore.

[wonderwoman1951]

thanks. 

[Vee]

Didn't Henry end up in bed with Doreen in the finale or close to it? Or maybe die? How did they get involved?

[Khan]

He did.  IIRC, that (Ruth or somebody discovering a panicked Doreen hovering over Henry's unconscious, half-naked body in bed) was the last cliffhanger, as "TO BE CONTINUED..." scrawled across the bottom of the screen.  And it was mostly because Henry felt Peter Whitmore was coming between him and Ruth - luring Ruth back into a singing career, for example.  I can't remember whether it was common knowledge that Peter was Chantal's biological father, but I do remember Henry had been drinking when he and Doreen went to bed and before he had had that (fatal?) heart attack.

[dc11786]

There was a slow burn tease between Adam Marshall and Sam Whitmore that never went there. If I recall correctly, I felt like the original bible said they would get together down the line and had even positioned them in the same career orbit (Adam was going to become a male model and Sam was to go into the advertising game with Trevor McCallum and his hot shot colleague Rob Raelko, a pseudo-predecessor for Rob Donnelly). On screen, there was hints that the show might go there, but this was nixed. Additionally, Sussman had planned a romantic triangle between Laura Whitmore McCallum, Ruth Potter Marshall, and a white classmate from high school who had become a plastic surgeon. This storyline was also nixed, but I suspect was the origin story of the final tale. 

Henry Marshall knew that Chantal wasn't his daughter and that she was the child of a man who had abandoned Ruth. In the final week, Vivian told Rebecca that Peter and Ruth had had an affair, but I think it was made pretty clear early on because the notes about Chantal's paternity (Chantal was unaware) were being hit just as Peter returned to Chicago after several decades in Instanbul. Also, Ruth and Peter were growing romantically closer. 

I remember reading one of the soap encycolpedias in the late 1990s and being very curious about Chantal's paternity plot because the description sounded half-baked or hadn't completely reached fruition yet. I'm pretty sure it would have come out in February, 1991, sweeps so the story was pretty deep starting in late September. 

Yes. When James Reynolds arrived in August, the show started a heart health story for Henry that was slow burning throughout the fall. By late January, he had ended up in bed with Doreen and had a heart attack before anything happened. Adam walked in to find his father and the mother of his child in bed together with a closeup on Doreen's face while "To Be Continued..." flashed on the screen. Henry's fate was left up in the air.

Doreen and Ruth's friendship detriorated once Ruth learned Doreen's child, Danielle, was actually Ruth's grandchild. At the same time, Peter Whitmore returned after years away and Peter and Ruth were brought together when Peter decided to restore his former nightspot, the Music Box, which I believe doubled as the rendezvous spot for Peter and Ruth's trysts years earlier. Caught up in the nostaglia, Ruth was drawn back into Peter's world.  

There was definitely some working of a potential Doreen, Henry, Ruth, Peter quad. I don't think Rebecca and Peter reconnecting really had a shot because I don't think Dorothy Lyman was intended for the long run, but I might be wrong on that. Ruth and Doreen also both wanted to sing at the reopening night of the Music Box, but Ruth landed the coveted spot. 

As I stated above, the Ruth / Chantal / Peter plot was more than likely borne out fo something planned in the bible for Ruth, Laura, and a childhood friend. In addition, Ruth revealling that she was hiding a paternity secret about her eldest daughter after reading Doreen for filth over Danielle's paternity would have set the stage for reconcilliation. I suspect Doreen would have sympathized with Ruth and offered her an olive branch while others would have turned on her. 

There was another interracial couple: racist Charles Mullens was carrying on an affair with Rita Barton, the wife of the security guard that Dr. Daniel Reubens was accused of killing. Charles had been tormenting the Marshalls when they moved into their North Shore home and was later revealed to be behind the bombing at the pharmaceutical plant that killed Rita Barton's husband. Charles' daughter Karen, like Daniel's wife Amy, had died due to a poisoned batch of cough syrup. It was also why Helen Mullens (Charles' abused wife) knew Maya; Helen briefly cared for Maya after Amy died missing her own daughter, Karen. It was a part of Helen's redemption arc (which included the domestic abuse) once they decided to keep Marla Adams. 

[Khan]

Thanks, @dc11786, for filling in the blanks re: Peter and Ruth's affair (?) and Henry and Doreen's assignation! 

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[DRW50]

The show definitely hinted:

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[Vee]

Thanks so much for all this. The Doreen/Ruth friendship did seem strong in eps I've seen, and later Joan Pringle(?) does such a good job conveying Ruth's hurt and heartbreak with her back to Doreen as her now ex-friend struggles to apologize in the big reveal episode over the baby. You can tell it's killing Ruth too but she won't back down.

It's a real shame - the show seemed to develop much stronger bones IMO than the early '89 eps conveyed. Do we know if Taurean Blacque was simply dumped for a bigger daytime name (Reynolds), as had seemed to play out with several roles, or did something else go down there?

[dc11786]

Peter and Ruth were together when Peter was married to Rebecca, but Ruth didn't meet Henry, yet, I believe. Henry married Ruth knowing the child she was carrying was another man's. I think they even discussed this onscreen fairly early in the storyline (October/November, 1990). Ruth was a teenager, and may have been underage. I believe there is a pretty decent scene between Rebecca and Vivian where Vivian reveals the sordid truth to her former employer and Rebecca is disgusted by Peter and pretty sympathetic to Ruth, who Rebecca felt was taken advantage of by Peter. I want to say its in the Monday episode of the final week. 

Doreen was so entrenched in the Marshall orbit that playing a beat with Henry and Doreen was smart, and leading to the health crisis was also good symmetry. I would have been wicked and brought in Dr. Warren Jackson, Martin's father who had appeared previously in the story, to handle part of the crisis. I imagine the heart attack stuff would have led to Chantal learning that Henry wasn't her father with the truth coming out that month. I cannot imagine it wouldn't have been out any later than May sweeps. 

I will die on the hill that November, 1989 - March, 1990 is strong stuff. The racism storyline deals with so many different issues and leads to a climatic bombing scene where Joan Pringle gives an amazing performance where Ruth, in shock and soot stained after the bombing, attempts to maintain the facade that nothing is wrong. Pringle is just phenomenal. Jonelle Allen is equally amazing and gets her roses, but Pringle's Ruth is a hidden gem. The love triangle between spunky Sam, quirky detective Kyle, and debonair Jordan worked well. Maya and Adam have such a nice romance threatened by the secret of Danielle's paternity with Doreen connecting with Maya's father Daniel. Daniel's false accusation plot and Rob's investigation to clear Daniel is also just a really underrated piece of soap opera history. The interconnections across the canvas in this period are great. 

The summer of 1990 stuff seems more flat. I'm not a huge fan of all the recasts. I think Jorn Winter wanted more daytime names which is why Blacque was out and Reynolds was in. I thought I read Blacque was fired, but I could be wrong. 

 

[Vee]

Oh, I think the February '90 ep I saw where Ruth's mother (Vivian?) finally moves into the Whitmore(?) house is very, very strong. I'm dying to see more of that storyline and period - not everything on YT is clearly dated so it's hard to know where to look at times. I was referring more to the very early eps after the show's debut in spring-summer '89, which plod along for me so far and seem very dull. I'm also very impressed with Ruth/Pringle in everything I've seen.

It is especially fascinating to me how they went from having Pat Crowley's staid (IMO) Rebecca as a centerpiece of the pilot narrating it to being completely absent for a long stretch of the show's run til they bring in Dorothy Lyman as a ringer/apparently temporary celebrity guest in the final weeks. I've said it before but I really do wonder what had been on the books for her originally (and I'm sure you've answered, so I'll go back and look at your old posts lol).

Edited February 1 by Vee

[dc11786]

@Vee Sometimes I have forgotten what I have read and what I have speculated. The bible laid out Rebecca's story pretty much to the mark early on (the hope for advancement at the law firm and the romance with the British attorney Lloyd Bradfield). I think Rebecca was also suppose to be more involved in the merger between Marshall Ice Cream and Midwest Equity or whatever the name of Martin Jackson's company was. The Whitmores in general had more going on in the bible for Rebecca to react to (Laura's affair, Laura's mother-in-law's Alzheimer's, Cory's attempt to recreate "The Graduate" with Jessica, J.D.'s engagement to transwoman Lisa Morgan, Sam's antics, Monique and Jason's relationship, and so on and so on). 

The aborted stuff from the bible was Peter's return in the first year. He was off living in Europe with a younger Italian wife, Francesca. Peter and Rebecca were going to run into one another in London during seperate vacations with their new partners. The meet up was the end of the story projection. 

Onscreen, there was a soft reset after the first thirteen weeks or so in the summer around the time of Doreen and Adam's affair. The relationship with Lloyd Bradfield is jettisoned despite Lloyd being played by British soap vet Ronald Allen (former David Hunter on "Crossroads"). Rebecca lingers on through the fall and into the winter before Pat Crowley is dropped shipped off on business to Japan, where she stays until Dorothy Lyman arrives. 

I suspect Peter's return was cut for two reasons: (a) cast size and (b) NBC's insistence [per the Dobsons] that the soaps cut back on hiring older characters. When Peter does arrive, Rebecca is no longer on contract and when Lyman arrives, her role was recurring. 

A lot of the best of "Generations" isn't online, but there is still a lot of solid stuff.  There are also massive gaps in the tape trading circuit (most of April 1989, fall 1989, late spring-early summer 1990). Hopefully, "Beyond the Gates" will inspire some new discoveries. 

[dc11786]

I watched a bit of January, 1990, today. I forgot how they managed to take Rob Donnelly, a character I found pointless and expendable in the first half of 1989 and gave him such a strong sense of purpose. In the aftermath of the scandal with Sam, his insta marriage to Jessica, and being accused of murdering his stepson Jason, Rob decides to find a new path investigating a piece of his own personal history. As a student, he had worked in a lab with Dr. Daniel Reubens, who had been investigating the drug Rioxin. Reuben's wife, Amy, had died shortly after taking it and Reubens lab work showed that it was dangerous. Rob as Daniel's champion is a great facet to the character, and I don't know why the show would even consider keeping Ian Oglivy's Reginald, who is supporting at best. 

The show minces no words when it comes to the Daniel Reubens story. Rob states that Daniel's investigation was about a black activist taking on white corporate America. In "archival" footage, Daniel states that Rioxin was released in areas dominated by people of color because Newton Labs were using the residents as guinea pigs. Throughout this, there are little beats too that I just couldn't imagine seeing today. As Daniel Davis, Reubens is running a community clinic out of the back side of Wilson & Friends, the bookstore that is housing (and hiding) Daniel and his daughter, Maya. In the clinic, Reubens treats Ana, a young mother, who has agreed to bring her son to Daniel for a flu vaccination and convinces her to bring her grandmother who is afraid of doctors because of the importance of the elderly being vacinated. When Daniel attempts to flee Chicago because Rob has started investigating, Ana returns to discuss the booster and learns Daniel is leaving and makes it clear that she too doesn't trust the medical community. I couldn't see anything like this playing out in the last twenty years of daytime. 

I haven't gotten there yet, but I am pretty sure it's revealed down the line that Kate Wilson, the "Wilson" of the bookstore, is a college classmate of Rob and possibly a former girlfriend. In any posiiton, Kate is a positioned as a potential love interest for Rob. It is very interconnected.. 

There is more Sam and Kyle shenangians (which I do enjoy) with bits of Jordan Hale thrown in. There was a snide little comment made by Sidney, bellhop who is friendly with Jessica and hates Sam, commenting that Mr. Hale never whisked him away to New York with a jaded bitterness that is just fun. I had forgotten all the side characters this show had like Lt. Nestor who Kyle calls Nasty and Ted Winters, who is Daniel's partner in the underground network that includes Kate. Gail Brinkley (Colleen Casey) returns for a moment to reveal that Aunt Mary's fortune is missing (Jason had promised it to his mother). Monique and Jason have been positioned into a supporting role at this point after their wedding which they really don't come back from. 

Doreen and Martin's marriage is struggling on two fronts: a) Doreen is pregnant by Adam and b) Martin's business dealings have left the Jacksons on the verge of bankruptcy. Fitts and Allen are great together. 

Sharon Brown's Chantal pops up to talk about how she is singing at a club. I think Chantal's singing was dropped when Debbi Morgan assumed the role. I wish Brown had been given more to do or a chance to play the Eric Royal story. Morgan is an incredible actress, but Brown wasn't really given a chance in the spotlight. 

I want to try to get to the housewarming bombing which is such an intense moment. I had forgotten it was at the end of February, not the start, so I have a few weeks to make it through before hitting it. 

[dc11786]

I watched another week in February, 1990. The highlight is the Daniel Reubens story. This week the angst was mostly with Maya and Adam, who has followed Maya and Daniel as they leave Chicago. Adam learns the "truth;" Maya claims she is leaving to go marry an old boyfriend. Adam is a mess afterwards and has a very nice conversation with Sharon Brown's Chantal who notes that Adam is very soulful. It's a rather accurate description of Kristoff St. John's performance. Adam also alludes to how he feels Maya and Doreen are alike in the way that they have lied to him.

Daniel and Maya come back to Chicago so that Daniel can fight to reclaim his freedom leading to Maya finally telling Adam the entire truth with Adam commenting he isn't sure how he can trust her when she lies. Meanwhile, Adam still hasn't let Maya in that Doreen is carrying his child so.... 

There's nice movement in Kyle and Sam's relationship. There is slow set up for a longer mob tale with lots of background action involving Kyle and Nestor complainign about an informant (who down the line is tied to the Taylor mob organization that was after Peter and who's leader is Jordan's father). The cop shop stuff is effective because it is very comical. Less comical is Sam's realization of how dangerous Kyle's work is while she watches him strap on. It's a nice beat that can real make you see why she wasn't just choosing Kyle because in many ways Jordan was a safer, more stable, choice.

A picture from a photo shoot taken the previous August comes out setting off a series of nice scenes. One includes the revelation that Kyle knows about Sam and Jason being together in Los Angeles, but it is not clear if Kyle knows all the details. I imagine this was set up for something that might never have happened (much like a future scene with Jessica and Jason later). Sam calls her mother (who appears to be out of town already). Sam nearly leaves the Hale Hotel to resume her modeling career, but Jordan offers her the spokesperson job he already promised Jessica. All's fair in love and the hotel business. 

Jessica and Jason are looking for the money that Aunt Mary has had. The big moment in their story this week is going to see Aunt Mary who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. During the visit, Mary assumes Jason is her brother Hugh and gives him some details that lead Jessica to think she knows where it is. The mother-son duo return to the Gardner mansion and cannot find the money. What is discovered by Jason is some paperwork surrounding a custody battle between Jessica and her father over Jason which Jessica proceeds to throw into the fire. I am curious what sort of intrigue they were trying to set up here. 

In the Jacksons story, Doreen and Martin go out for dinner to return to their house being ransacked and all of Doreen's jewelry being stolen, including her mother's wedding ring (the last thing Doreen has of her mother). The show plays the beat of Doreen feeling unsafe and Martin's rage but quickly shifts to Doreen realizing that this all too convenient given the money issues the Jacksons  have and that Martin had insisted they go out to dinner. Doreen's intuition is correct and Martin is left scrambling trying to get the ring back. 

The show moves very well. It's a shame it couldn't maintain the momentum throughout the entire year. 

[DRW50]

Thanks for all the recaps @dc11786

[Khan]

When it was announced that Sally Sussman (Morina) was succeeding JER as DAYS' HW, I remember some people were like, "Is she capable of the same kind of outrageous writing as JER (and that propelled DAYS to #2)?"  And all I had to do was remember the storyline with Aunt Mary and the missing diamonds to know that, "Yup!," she was, lol.