@NothinButAttitude I really enjoy how that "Another World" story idea turned out based on what @DRW50 had suggested. As someone who isn't a huge "Another World" fan but has a working knowledge, this all seems like something Lemay would have written with the possible exception of the vague Iris / Michael stuff which may have been referring back to the earlier suggestion that someone try and marry Michael off to a Cory cousin. I do think stuff like this is fun especially once, as you suggested, explore it out a little bit more.
In 1975, when Michael returns, Iris would be involved with Robert Delaney, or on the verge of becoming involved with Delaney. Given the suggestion that Julian Vane (I'd change the last name to something else) was a promising architecture student, I would make him Robert's protege working together at whatever the firm was in Bay City. I see the more likely connection not to be Michael and Iris, but rather Julian and Iris through not only Julian being connected to Robert, but I would have played on Julian being somehow tied to the jetset group that Iris would drag to Bay City. I would really be interested in at least suggesting that Julian was a bit of a social climber and if we were to go the Cory cousin route, let's call her Betsy Cory, I think Iris meddling in Betsy's romantic life trying to put her and Julian together, could lead to some of the tension that would later lead to the Iris / Michael confrontation.
I like how the story suggested on playing on John's insecurities, which I don't think was necessarily something embedded into his character but I think Lemay could slowly simmer to the surface in other ways. I would have Julian charm Pat and not only have John threatened by Michael's presence in Pat's life, but Julian's as well. Making Julian a bit like Terence Stamps' Visitor character in Teorema who has an influence on the entire family. With this situation, I think John's aging and his relationship with a much younger wife, Pat, as well as a blooming romantic entanglement with an even younger woman, Barbara, could bring a level of neurotic desire to ensure Michael's (heterosexual) virility in order to placate his own fears that his own is fading.
If the show still told the Marianne abortion plot, I would have have had Marianne confide in Julian and have Aunt Liz cluck about Marianne's closeness with the more sophisticated Julian causing some neurotic paranoia for Michael especially as Julian and Marianne deny this. Later, when Michael learns that Julian has paid for Marianne's abortion, he again jumps to conclusions fueled by Aunt Liz's gossip and insinuations.
I'd also have the Barbara Weaver thread play slightly differently. With John deducing that Michael and Julian's living arrangement is more than financial, John pushes Barbara towards Michael as a way to "get the boy on the right path" with Barbara agreeing to intercede mostly because she admires John. John's language would suggest that he thinks Michael is just a shy and needs to come out of his shell. It would be Barbara, who would quickly deduce Michael isn't straight that becomes his confidante. Barbara who claims she and Michael are going out for intimate evenings as cover for time spent with Julian. I would go a step further and even play the potential angle of Pat being threatened by the Barbara / Michael romance feeling that Barbara, an older woman, is out to replace her in her son's life. A Barbara / Michael / Pat triangle over Michael's affections as well as Barbara replacing Pat as the one he shares his secrets with causing tension. In addition, if the Chris / Marianne stuff is playing out with Pat's own fears about Marianne replaying her past, Pat might feel the need to turn more to Michael, which would infuriate John as it would thwart his plans to keep Michael from being so attached to Pat. This, of course, would spill over later into the Barbara / John affair which would now hurt both Pat and Michael much more given Michael's affection for Barbara and Pat's already established animosity.
There would also be fun little moments to savor throughout. At one point, John would accuse Pat of liking the idea of Julian / Michael because it would mean that Pat would always be the most important woman in Michael's life. John's painful realization that Michael had confessed to Barbara months ago about his sexuality, and that Barbara had hid this from John and continued the charade.
In the romantic entanglement, I would have Betsy Cory, Mac's niece, become smitten with Michael after meeting him through Marianne; Marianne and Betsy could be in college classes together. Maybe lothario Chris makes the moves on Betsy which would fuel Marianne's desire to sleep with Chris and to encourage the romance between Betsy and Michael, which never gets off the ground for obvious reasons. Chris could continue to also pursue Betsy with Michael coming to her rescue leading to Betsy, at times, to purposely flirt with danger because of Michael's protective nature. Later, when Betsy learns of Michael and Barbara, she would end up crying on Julian's shoulders, who she had befriended in her failed pursuit of Michael. At this point, I would have Iris trying to play matchmaker between Julian and Betsy as she wants Julian, who she has learned about some of his "complicated" backstory (spending a holiday with a wealthy couple known for having an open marriage) from a mutual acquaintance on a trip to San Tropez. Because Julian is cultured, seems more settled, and is Robert's protégé, Iris sees it as her duty to arrange the romance between Julian and her cousin. I would have Julian play along for the career aspirations while Michael becoming more concerned how easily Julian is willing to use Betsy for his won social gains.
I don't know how accurate this would be for John and Pat as it definitely muddies them up more than they probably were at the time, but I think it could be compelling.
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dc11786 ·
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