Another World Discussion Thread

[Xanthe]

John Hutton's Peter was a pretty good guy -- he was exasperated with Donna's snobbery, had no ulterior motives or underhanded schemes. After he broke his engagement to Sally he got engaged to Cecile, and after Cecile he dated Emily Benson. Christopher Holder's Peter was not so much a cad as he became manipulative and scheming, specifically with a view to breaking up Sally and Catlin. But I don't think he had much else to do and when Marcus Smythe took over Brittany seduced Peter and tricked him into believing he was the father of Catlin's baby. 

You can sweep a lot under the rug with the passage of time/the right recast. Of course there are a lot of storylines 1985-1988 that I would unpick and redo differently, given the chance. 

[AbcNbc247]

Peter, Brittany, Nicole and I'm sure a lot of characters as well around that time were completely changed with each different writing/producing regime. I know it was harder to get information back then, but all those characters changes in just a few years were crazy.

[Melroser]

Peter Love should have come back with a recast. His behavior with Brittany could have been explained as being terrified of his father and needing to please him. (Donna was terrified of Reginald then too). That Peter/Brittany abuse storyline was the biggest waste of Sharon Gabet! I can see why she wanted out of her contract early. 

Nicole Love could have returned "reformed" from her time at the institution. She could try hard to make amends to Cass and Felicia with them being skeptical of course. It could be written so the audience can't really tell if she has reformed or she hasn't. That alone could play for several months. There were plenty of characters she could have mixed things up with. Cass/Frankie, Jamie, Michael, maybe even mess with John/Sharlene. It could have been limitless. 

Donna should not have been alone. Maybe if she had her brother and sister to confide in she never would have slept with Jake. LOL. 

I do wish more of the McKinnons had returned in later years too. Especially Kathleen and a recast MJ. 

 

 

[j swift]

I think the introduction of the Loves was a great period, but I think in later years Grant Harrison makes Peter Love redundant in terms of a snivley whiplash guy, spoiler for the heroine's couple-hood, who was desperate for his father's approval.

[Xanthe]

The sniveling desperation for father's approval was why I was toying with the thought that Mark Pinter could have been a Peter recast. Did Dack Rambo also snivel? I enjoyed him in the role and was disappointed to lose both him and Cali Timmins as Paulina.

The soap suicide thread caused me to take note of the fact that Peter's girlfriend Emily, apparently pregnant with his baby, died after Carl first provided with her an opportunity for a suicide attempt and then just had her poisoned. It was obviously a relief when Emily was caught for all her murders and Catlin was cleared, but I remain confused as to Carl's interest in killing Royal Dunning, David Thatcher, and probably some other people I can't think of. Emily's motive in going along with the murders seemed to be some sentimental attachment to babies, but why did Carl care (and why did it lead to Majorca)?

[FrenchBug82]

Dack Rambo had played villains before so he could do it but that's really not the vibe he was giving as Grant. Slightly sleazy, yes, but I have a hard time picturing him playing the later material.

[AbcNbc247]

Wasn't David blackmailing Carl?

[Xanthe]

According to the AWHP, David was blackmailing Royal Dunning. However Cecile borrowed money from Carl to give David so David could marry Sally -- I take it Cecile's interest was in keeping Sally unavailable to Peter. (David also killed elderly Uncle Kevin for money, and tried to burn his house down for money, and planned to marry Sally because Uncle Kevin had left his money in trust to Kevin with Sally as the trustee).

The synopses also mention that Royal Dunning confessed to David's murder before he himself was murdered, but also that Sally had seen a woman's ring (suspiciously like one Donna was shown wearing) with a large gemstone when David was murdered. The ring ultimately pointed to Emily as the culprit, but it still seems strange that in addition to Emily, Ross went around trying to kill Sally in case she remembered anything, and Catlin who had been found guilty and sentenced to death (and of course he actually killed Julia, which he had to follow the teen group to NYC to do), plus Herb Harris hypnotized Sally to keep her from figuring anything out and also to shoot Catlin.

Carl's interests seemed to have something to do with horses, but I can't see the connection from the horses to the deaths of David and Royal. Was it just that Emily was working for Carl so when she killed David and Royal from motives of her own he had to deploy resources to cover up her crime? It feels like there is a gap.

 

 

[AbcNbc247]

I'm not too sure. The synopses on AWHP from that time are only weekly ones, so they're not too specific, but I think everyone was working for Carl and he dispatched them in order to cover up his schemes.

I wish there were more episodes available from that time. The whole David Thatcher and Carl's connection to him sounds so interesting. 

[Khan]

God, no wonder Amanda and Iris hated Rachel for marrying Carl.  I mean, how on earth could you ever love someone who literally poisoned a nurse in order to keep your secrets from being exposed?

[AbcNbc247]

And a pregnant nurse, at that.

Yeah, by the time the 90s came around, the show had pretty much forgotten how many deaths and how many attempted deaths Carl was responsible for. 

[FrenchBug82]

Chemistry is a powerful thing that so much of the audience accepted that couple because rationally this was as vile an idea as possibly could be. For any character, let alone Rachel.

[Xanthe]

Who herself had murdered David Thatcher and Royal Dunning, and attempted to murder Mark Singleton (shot and then pulled the plug on him), as well as her lover Peter and Cass, Cecile and Kathleen. She was not a mere innocent victim.

[Khan]

True, Emily Benson wasn't some innocent bystander.  Nevertheless, murder is murder, regardless of the person BEING murdered.

[Soaplovers]

Iris was written as the villain during Rachel/Carl's courtship..yet she was the only one with logic.