The story goes that Douglass Watson came on in August 74 as a possible love interest for Liz and then Lemay saw a spark with Rachel and rewrote the story. They started seeing each other in December and were married by February.

So I wonder what he planned to do with Rachel had Mac not entered the picture? Maybe Neil Johnson as he arrived around that time...

He decided to go with a quick marriage and then the fallout, rather than having Rachel/Mac face obstacles on their way to the altar. Do you think that was the best decision or should he have invested more in the relationship/courtship and delay a wedding?

 

13 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

AND we finally get a play-by-play description of the end of the Caroline Johnson storyline -- in which Caroline (played by Rue McClanahan), nannie for the Randolph twins, plots to take over Pat's live, husband, and ultimately kidnap Michael and Marianne -- to replace her own deceased twins. Anyone who has read Lemay's "Eight Years in Another World" will recall Lemay hated this plot, initially written by AW's former head-writer, and that Lemay quickly wrapped-up the storyline when he arrived.  Well, upon reading the daily synopsis, I will say that "wrapping-up" is not the term I would use. Lemay simply ended the plot just as it was approaching its intended climax.  Out of the blue, Pat finds reason (a fairly good reason, I will admit) to fire Caroline, and Caroline is gone.  It's McClanahan's final scene.   Then about a week later, Caroline is arrested by the police off-camera, and the audience learns Caroline's entire back-story, and her intention to kidnap Michael and Marianne.   So the entire denouement of Caroline's plot takes place off-camera.  Wow, what a buzz-kill!  This had to be one of Mr Lemay's stranger decisions.    

I guess we can add that to the list of things that Lemay lied about in his book, along with Alice’s breakdown and Walter constantly crying into the scarf 

1 hour ago, Paul Raven said:

The story goes that Douglass Watson came on in August 74 as a possible love interest for Liz and then Lemay saw a spark with Rachel and rewrote the story. They started seeing each other in December and were married by February.

So I wonder what he planned to do with Rachel had Mac not entered the picture? Maybe Neil Johnson as he arrived around that time...

Vic Hastings was another potential pairing for Rachel. And for Pat and Iris too. But he didn’t have chemistry with any of them 

5 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I guess we can add that to the list of things that Lemay lied about in his book, along with Alice’s breakdown and Walter constantly crying into the scarf 

 

That's interesting. I've never thought of Pete as lying in his book or his interviews. I've only thought of things I disagree with him about. This bears examination & considerable thought. 

I believe Willis may have been a potential love interest for Rachel.  Vic Hastings had chemistry with Lenore. But she and Robert Delany were in a long-running love story.  Vic also had chemistry with Janice, as I recall.  

2 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

The story goes that Douglass Watson came on in August 74 as a possible love interest for Liz and then Lemay saw a spark with Rachel and rewrote the story. They started seeing each other in December and were married by February.

In fairness, according to the AWHP synopses he builds the bond between Mac and Rachel slowly after they meet (not for the first time per excerpted dialogue, but the first with Watson in the role) in early September '74 when she goes to the mansion to pick up Jamie. From there it seems like there's some semi-regular material with them meeting, socializing, Mac sympathizing with her and becoming more attached to her, so the seeds were planted - there's a fair amount made of Liz or others being put out by his bonding with Rachel. Then Rachel's latest/last? scheme against Alice and Steve goes kaput in November, she cries on Mac's shoulder and he tells her to move on late in the month, they begin dating in early December and they're off to the races.

I am surprised they apparently never fully resolved Lenore being driven out of town by Carol Lamonte's schemes over her past with Walter (though I haven't gone through all of 1976 yet, lol). I do wonder if they ever resolved anything more happily with Lemay's seemingly semi-regular mentions of how miserably sad poor widowed Missy Palmer is in Somerset (a backstory seemingly used to motivate characters on AW).

Edited January 31, 20233 yr by Vee

1 hour ago, Vee said:

I am surprised they apparently never fully resolved Lenore being driven out of town by Carol Lamonte's schemes over her past with Walter (though I haven't gone through all of 1976 yet, lol). I do wonder if they ever resolved anything more happily with Lemay's seemingly semi-regular mentions of how miserably sad poor widowed Missy Palmer is in Somerset (a backstory seemingly used to motivate characters on AW).

Lenore's leaving town because of Carol was never really resolved.  Carol implied she knew more about Walter Curtain than she really did.  But Lenore over-reacted, not wanting Wally to find out his father had been a murderer.  So she left town with Wally.  Lenore did return for a short visit a few months later, but nothing was really resolved regarding Carol's information.

Yes Lemay did tend to bring up Missy fairly often.  But by that time, Missy was living in Arizona.  She actually left Somerset about six months after that show's premiere.   

I'm having a fun time digging into both the classic Lemay synopses (I've seen most of the available eps from his reign on YT) and his brief stint in fall '88. They seem to let Chris Robinson's Jason Frame slide pretty quick on framing Mac for murder! Can anyone explain his whole deal to me? I thought he came on with Denise Alexander as they tried to do some Rick/Lesley redo. And he's murdered early in '89?

It is interesting to see they seemed to be refocusing on the Frames/their farm, Josie, etc. even before Lemay arrived. Or no, I'm wrong - the dates say they came on in June, which I imagine line up with the strike which may have delayed Lemay, so presumably bringing Sharlene back and Josie in was his idea even if the intro got laid off on the scabs?

Edited January 31, 20233 yr by Vee

25 minutes ago, Vee said:

I'm having a fun time digging into both the classic Lemay synopses (I've seen most of the available eps from his reign on YT) and his brief stint in fall '88. They seem to let Chris Robinson's Jason Frame slide pretty quick on framing Mac for murder! Can anyone explain his whole deal to me? I thought he came on with Denise Alexander as they tried to do some Rick/Lesley redo. And he's murdered early in '89?

I think the constant change in head writers had something to do with it. In addition to the strike, there were also four different head writers in 1988

Denise/Mary came to Bay City two years before Jason.  She was well established in the Reginald and Vince triangle by then.  I believe Lemay brought back the Frame farm, and then Jason comes back, reestablishes Frame construction, does some work on the Cory mansion, and started a contentious relationship with Rachel.

Like many who have mentioned this in the past, I have a hard time believing they didn't know how Janice died. I think it was smart to bring them back and to bring that story back up, but the plot point of some of the Frames not knowing is silly.

People not knowing about Janice's death is analogous to the SB Dobson's admitting to not watching the show during their absence and rehashing the drama between Mason and CC that had been resolved months earlier.  It is a writer trying to rewind the clock, mostly because they aren't knowledgeable of how the plot advanced under other writers.  Rachel's murder trial was a major event in Bay City, so most characters around at that time would be aware of how Janice died.  Maybe some of the younger characters, or the new arrivals would be oblivious, but those who were a part of the family would know the facts.

6 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

He decided to go with a quick marriage and then the fallout, rather than having Rachel/Mac face obstacles on their way to the altar. Do you think that was the best decision or should he have invested more in the relationship/courtship and delay a wedding?

I think I only came in after they married ... but I always loved their fights more than their romantic stuff, and they really had to be married to have the knock-down-drag-outs they had, so I'm okay with Lemay's decision (in retrospect).

I thought both Jason and Anna Holbrook-Sharlene were antagonistic with Rachel right from the start, precisely because she had killed their sister. Maybe Jason knew and had to tell Sharlene? Regardless, I loved Lemay's return for scenes like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipAuH8OA3qo&t=7s

I still smile thinking about Rachel finding an identical bracelet to her own in Mac's car which indicated that Mac was macking with another woman.  First, it meant that Mac was an object of desire, not just some old guy that Rachel was playing for money.  Second, I liked Mac's sophisticated response to the situation.  And third, whether it was planned or just kismet it set up the reveal that Iris was illegitimate because it demonstrated that prior to Rachel he did not value commitment.   

To me, this explained their unique love story because they changed each other, it wasn't just a reformation of Rachel.

Edited January 31, 20233 yr by j swift

3 hours ago, Vee said:

I'm having a fun time digging into both the classic Lemay synopses (I've seen most of the available eps from his reign on YT) and his brief stint in fall '88. They seem to let Chris Robinson's Jason Frame slide pretty quick on framing Mac for murder! Can anyone explain his whole deal to me? I thought he came on with Denise Alexander as they tried to do some Rick/Lesley redo. And he's murdered early in '89?

Mary arrived in August 1986 when Margaret DePriest was the head writer. DePriest then introduced Jason in December 1987. Originally, Jason was slated to have two daughters but those plans were quickly scrapped after DePriest was replaced by Sheri Anderson in early 1988. DePriest was the one who introduced the Frame farmhouse as both Jason and Rachel wanted to buy it (Rachel wanted it for Jamie).

3 hours ago, robbwolff said:

Mary arrived in August 1986 when Margaret DePriest was the head writer. DePriest then introduced Jason in December 1987. Originally, Jason was slated to have two daughters but those plans were quickly scrapped after DePriest was replaced by Sheri Anderson in early 1988. DePriest was the one who introduced the Frame farmhouse as both Jason and Rachel wanted to buy it (Rachel wanted it for Jamie).

Most long-term fans will remember that the Frame Farm was originally in Oklahoma.  But when Jason, Rachel, and Sharlene discussed the 1988 farm in Bay City, they said it had been Emma's farm and that Steve had later owned it. And Oklahoma wasn't mentioned, as I recall.  So the Frame farm in Bay City was one of the biggest continuity errors in the history of Another World.  A few years later, writers tried to correct the mistake, by discussing Oklahoma again and saying Emma still lived there.  

Also regarding the 1988 Frames' attitudes toward Janice's death, I believe Jason and Sharlene knew how Janice died.  But they still blamed Rachel, because Rachel actually did kill Janice -- even though it was self defense.  They sort of conveniently ignored the self defense issue, because they didn't like Rachel because of all the trouble she had caused for Steve back in the 1970s.   But they did know how Janice died.