Knots Landing

[Vee]

Happy anniversary. Maybe I'll get back to my slight backlog this weekend, I've been so busy with other stuff IRL and now there's a bit of a GH historical binge for Jackie Z. I'm still not through with the very end of Season 6, and eps are hard to come by at present.

[ReddFoxx]

Right. Real writers would never propose anything like that.

Edited May 15, 2023 by ReddFoxx

[Soapsuds]

Gawd how I hated Ben.

[Khan]

I didn't hate Ben, but I did think he deserved better than to be Val's perennial second choice.  And the less I say about his ridiculous exit story with the horrible Jean Hackney, the better.

[kalbir]

His exit storyline sucked but I liked Ben and Val together. He loved her enough to raise another man's children as his own.

[Khan]

I thought Doug Sheehan had such an easy chemistry with the rest of the cast.  It was really a shame that they couldn't have held onto him.

[kalbir]

Val/Gary/Ben was a well-crafted triangle with conflict between two very different types of love. Val's love for Gary was that of a young girl's first love that was supposed to last forever but it didn't. Val's love for Ben was that of a grown woman moving on with her life.

[Paul Raven]

Whatever happened to Doug Sheehan?

From a few primetime guest spots to contract and popularity on GH, leading to KL and then starring on a sitcom (Day by Day) it seemed that another series was on the cards or some prominent appearances in TV movies or mini series and perhaps a return to soaps when things cooled off but he just seemed to vanish.

Maybe his choice?

[Khan]

Didn't he pop up briefly on PASSIONS?

[j swift]

@Khan Are you thinking of Sam Behrens (Val's other lover) who turned up on Sunset Beach?

[Khan]

No, I remember Sam Behrens as Gregory on SUNSET BEACH.  But I think (although I can't be sure) that Douglas Sheehan did a one-or-two-day role on PASSIONS.

[titan1978]

I think Ben was a great addition to the show, and I missed him when he is gone.  But I prefer Gary with Abby, and Val with Ben. As much as I love the push/pull of Gary and Val, I am okay with them not being together.

Edited May 17, 2023 by titan1978

[Khan]

Douglas Sheehan was great with Joan Van Ark, but Val could be so damn exhausting, lol.  JVA blamed the Lechowicks for turning Val into the "village idiot," but I think the character assassination, for lack of a better term, had happened long before.

[Soaplovers]

I think it started in season 6 with Val's nervous breakdown after losing the twins.  I don't view it as character assassination..but of untreated mental illness and enabling of said behavior (by Karen and co).

 

[Khan]

That makes sense, @Soaplovers.  I think the producers should have addressed that issue, too.  Val had been through every parent's worst nightmare.  Getting the twins back seemed to put a nice bow on everything, but it really shouldn't have.  We should've seen Val struggling even after getting Betsy and Bobby back.  Val should've been paranoid about losing them again to the point where she refuses to leave the house without them or have them sleep in another bedroom.  And Ben should've been beside himself (again) over how to handle the situation.

Of course, being the cruel bastard that I am, I would've had Ben convince Val to leave the twins at home with Lilimae or one of Karen's sons for an evening out with Mack and Karen, only to have Ben and Val return home that night to discover that the twins have been abducted yet again.