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Thanks for the 1986 ep Carl! So many great characters in that particular episode- Catlin, Donna, Nancy, Felicia, Mitch, Rachel, Mac, Ada, Kathleen, Cheryl, Scott, Adam- it was like going home again. Especially loved seeing the little bit of Catlin that we got. Love me some Thomas Ian Griffith!

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That was a damned good episode. I hate to ask if it's already been asked and answered, but didn't Mary's backstory get really convoluted after this point? And why did the McKinnon's get so quickly eschewed from the canvas after this, pretty much disappearing after this year (save Jake and Kathleen's brief return a few years later)?

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juniorz1 I think I am the only Sally Spencer MJ fan out there! I never saw Kathleen, aside from a clip or two, so it's not against her - I just like the vulnerability Spencer has in the role.

The McKinnons were phased out in late 1987 (the last child, Cheryl, left in mid-1988). Then Vince and Mary hung on until early 1989.

I think Mary's backstory was already convoluted at this point.

The best part of this for me was the fight between Rachel and Mac. I love watching Watsson and Wyndham fight. Pure fire!

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What a mess of a story it must've been then. I did enjoy the family dynamic, it's a shame it didn't work in the long term. Was it just a change in writers that got them the boot or were they just an unpopular family with viewers?

Rachel & Mac's fights are beautiful scenes in any era. If you ever want to convince someone why you'd want to watch a soap opera, just show those two in an argument. Two masters at work.

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I do think viewer indifference was part of it (Mary was sort of grafted onto the show and never had a strong story, and the most popular McKinnon girl - Kathleen - was gone), but the constant writer turnover was likely another reason.

You have probably already seen these but someone put up some Marissa edits a while back.

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I actually think it had more to do with the shift in writers than anything. I don't remember any fan outrage against the McKinnons and they played well against the Love/Hudsons and the Corys- a good ole Irish middle class family. I always liked them. Kathleen was the fan favorite for sure- then there was also the unfortunate recasting of MJ with Sally Spencer (sorry Carl). MJ was actually very popular when Kathleen Layman played her, right on par with Kathleen. Sally Spencer's version is a completely different character altogether. Loved me some Cheryl too. Vince and Mary were never my favorites but at least they had story in the beginning,

I think bringing the Frames back was actually the final nail in the McKinnons coffin, not to mention the resurgence of the Matthews clan, with the returns of Liz and Russ, along with daughters Olivia and Josie. As a fan myself, I always thought the McKinnons were sort of a missed opportunity and I did miss them when they were gone. I really liked the 3 sisters with the original portrayers in the roles.

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Similar to the way it botched Jackie Courtney's return, the show really squandered the popularity of Denise Alexander. It was a whole confluence of circumstances, I think. Aside from the story getting too convoluted, the writers didn't play enough to Denise's natural warmth or strength. She was improperly matched with romantic partners – John Considine's Reginald was so Snidely Whiplash that it made no sense for Mary to ever have been attracted to him, let alone have lingering feelings for him, and Robert Hogan's Vince was just pretty damn dull. Even her wardrobe was bad -- dowdy and drab. Plus, I felt like she was isolated in her own story -- too little interaction with the show's VIPs: Mac & Rachel, Felicia, Cass, Donna, etc. I still loved her, though!

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Is it true that Another World had a brief ratings resurgence in the mid-80s due to Caitlin/Sally and Jacqueline Courtney's brief return? It didn't seem like the show gave Alice much to do during her year long return. I know she was a doctor, and had a brief romance with someone already on the canvas... but what do you think the show could have done to make better use of Alice? Other then a revisit of Rachel and her fighting over another man.. that is.

Also, I think the Mckinnon's could have stayed on even with the return of the Frames and Matthews in the late 80s. I could see harding Lemay having a ball writing the family... i mean the mom was presumed dead for years.. MJ was basically a surrogate mother while Kathleen was the free-spirit and Cheryl was the young princess who hardly remembered her mother...plus, I could have seem Harding Lemay bringing back Ben.. or at least mentioning him.

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I miss this show everyday and I loved the McKinnon family although Cheryl was a weak link for me and then VInce once Robert Hogan took over. I preferred Duke Stroud (?). He seemed to fit the idea of the blue-collar, hardworking family man better for me and I enjoyed his chemistry with the others.

I don't remember much about the first M.J. but I was a fan of Adam/M.J (Sally Spencer). I wish their relationship hadn't have been trashed by the whole former prostitute story.

I agree that Denise Alexander was completely wasted on this show. Her backstory was confusing and then seemed to be the ONLY story she really had once she turned out to be Mary and reconnected with the family. I was excited to see her be paired with Chris Robinson again only to find Jason Frame revolting and a horrible character. Why would Mary want to be with Jason or Reginald (tho i suppose in the beginning if she had amnesia she didn't know what he was really like).

They should have had Mary get into some kind of feud with Liz. I think the two characters could have been perfect rivals. Busy-body, meddling in their family's business kind of matriarchs.

I wish they would have brought Ben McKinnon back instead of having a half-brother for Jake, Kevin. Ben could have served the same purpose and also had a history with Marley to play off of.

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