To be fair I'm nto sure we can even blame McTavish for the Brooke stuff--she always seemed happy to write for her before (not often very well but...) and I blame Frons and crew. Seriously I still miss her and her character so much and I even had a dream a few weeks ago where I was so happy when she came back to the show lol.

Agnes Nixon did write a story for her when she came back in 99--suddenly we saw the community center/shelter she worked at a lot and then Eliot that priest who turned out to be the drunk driver who killed Laura I. We discussed this story in some depth a while back but I actually kinda liked it for all its old school soap melodrama but I know I was in the minority--it was a very Agnes Nixon story though (for good and bad). I still wish I knew more how that era was organized though because Agnes Nixon set up some really good stuff--we got a lot of the vets interacting in funny scenes, a community feel, and then he rmain focus was Bianca but by the time Jean passanante was her co head writer the blanace was REALLY bizarre and then when Agnes left (her commitment was short btu she left on her own) it became perhaps the worse it's ever been IMHO (which says a lot). I just wonder if Agnes had no say when Jean was co writer in her stories/ or was finding writing Bianca etc enough work she just didn't worry (I knwo at the itme she said her return would be brief because she couldnt' commit to full time writing again).

Culliton started good--his stories just became unwieldy, his neverending "umbrella" Proteus plot still eaves me soo confused and he became known (perhaps not his fault) for a TON of dropped characters and storylines with no resolution (even stuff like Timmy Dhillon coming back mysteriously then disappearing). Is Amanda in aANY contact with Tim anymore? (random thought)

But yeah Dogboy and all those e popping teens (Marcus who i think ende dup in a coma etc) were just... too awful

GUIDING LIGHT

Soap opera characters usually get taken in new directions.but P&G toolk GL in different directions in 2000!Headwriters Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown got the boot.Enter Claire Labine,whose storytelling sensibility seemed a natural to recapture Springfield's heart and soul.

In a bizarre backstage twist,GL announced Labine's departure,but she stayed after all.The result:a show in constant transition.

The two headwiting regimes offered a very different product.Under B&E's pen,Danny had morals,Carmen had a life,Selena had a brain.Under the Labines.Danny had a one night stand with a apid cigarette girl and then killed his mother,and the mob drove a now spineless Selena out of town.

To the Labine's credit,the characters got personalities.For example,Jim turned out to have a gambling problem,and Rick made us laugh

again.Suddenly,there is once again a spring in Springfield's step.

HITS

Storyline-Lizzie's leukemia

Couple-Phillip and Harley

Newcomer-Jordi Vilasuso

Breakout Performance-Brittany Snow

Most Shocking Twist-Danny kills Carmen

Villian-Edmund

Back Where She Belongs-Susan Pratt

Breakup-Rick and Abby

Wedding-Cassie and Richard

MISS

Storyline-Reva and the refugees

Couple-Buzz and Selena

Firing-Saundra Santiago

Welcome to the Dark Side-Danny

Show Me the Story-Matt and Vanessa

Storyline-Reva and the refugees

And there it is, as I knew it would be lmao.

Yeah, as great as the coming out storyline was..... 1999-2001 overall was not a whole hell of alot better than Megan's disastrous 2nd run. I know some disagree, but I really really enjoyed Richard Culiton when he came in.... especially in the beginning. Things got off the rails big time towards the end.... but I thought he at least half cared about the vets and the history of the show. I really sometimes think if Frons had let him do what he wanted to... things could have been alot better. I guess part of me will always tresure Culiton because he was the last HW on AMC who gave a damn about Brooke and Julia Barr.

I actually liked Culliton in part because as you point out, he seemed to like writing for Brooke. However, I think that AMC had a far better cast back then so even if the some of the stories were clunkers (proteus, ultimately) we still got to see Opal, Palmer, Vanessa, Erica, Bianca, Leo& Greenlee, Anna and David. Things might have gotten a little odd under him but I never recall AMC being as dreadfully boring or unwatchable as it has been after his tenure.

I actually liked Culliton in part because as you point out, he seemed to like writing for Brooke. However, I think that AMC had a far better cast back then so even if the some of the stories were clunkers (proteus, ultimately) we still got to see Opal, Palmer, Vanessa, Erica, Bianca, Leo& Greenlee, Anna and David. Things might have gotten a little odd under him but I never recall AMC being as dreadfully boring or unwatchable as it has been after his tenure.

I agree. I would have liked to see him given more time. The show also felt more like an ensemble piece. But, we all know Frons does not do ensembles....

"The two headwiting regimes offered a very different product.Under B&E's pen,Danny had morals,Carmen had a life,Selena had a brain.Under the Labines.Danny had a one night stand with a apid cigarette girl and then killed his mother,and the mob drove a now spineless Selena out of town."

LOL!