Another World Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

It was so awful! That storyline, or arc, whatever! Of course it was messy & one does appreciate messiness. Sigh. Basically it was RonC with a really bad idea that is even worse with the execution. 

Eh?! What am I? Chopped liver?

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[Xanthe]

Johnny-come-lately? I saw your confirmation later afterwards. Thanks for the suggestion of the Bing image search. I had got no results with a Google image search but I tried Bing today and got a hit. Will keep that in mind for future. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I was just goofing ya. But, you're welcome. I discovered it almost by accident about a year ago. Really very handy! 

I want to post Mary Page Keller & Thomas Ian Griffith from the picket line. I saw this one & couldn't figure how they were glowing!! Then I saw the other one & realized someone had just used a filter on it. There's another one of her singing karaoke on the picket line one day. I didn't know she sang. Okay, enough image frivolity. 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges

[Contessa Donatella]

We found 4 episodes of Hollywood Square/Match Game Hour with NBC Daytime stars. From AW Christopher Rich & Nancy Frangione (looking quite marvelous). From SFT David Forsythe & Marcia McCabe. From DAYS Wayne Northrup, Dee Hall, John De Lancie & Leann Hunley. I've posted one in the DAYS BTS Thread & will post the others there. 

[Xanthe]

I didn't like the way they brought Stacy back with Megan and Mark Singleton dead and I am really having a hard time with the whole obvious romance novel Derek thing. I never watched the Beauty and the Beast series so I don't know how similarly this was an echo of that. But I feel unconvinced when they try to show me that Derek has intellect because he reads Stendahl, and embarrassed when Stacy imagines him and her as the hero and heroine of Felicia's book The Lady and the Laborer.

There are some scenes where Stacy is representing Jamie in his custody battle with Vicky and they're just such a relief. With Lisa out of the picture I feel like I would have preferred to see Stacy and Jamie together. 

Should I not be so hard on Derek? Am I just mad because it makes me worry that they used similar tricks to make me like Catlin and Sally and it worked? 

[Contessa Donatella]

I really liked Stacy seeing through Vicky! 

But, I also bought into Stacy with Derek. 

And, I was a fan of both Beauty and the Beasts, original & reboot.

I really liked that Derek was such a protector. And, that the beast was such a gentle soul.

[Later I liked the actress on GL as somewhat crazy Eve. Eve? Hmm. Dated Ed & semi-mothered Michelle.] 

And, of course, I liked her being family to Cass, a Winthrop. 

To me it was a good time to visit Bay City. 

[Xanthe]

I can tell that that is supposed to be one of the features of Derek (in addition to walking around shirtless) but I think I am not convinced that Stacy needs his protection. There are minor incidents like "Stacy fell down in the snow for no reason and is unconscious! Never fear, he-man Derek will save her!" There aren't really organic stakes. In fact Derek seems to need more protection than Stacy does what with his crimes and fighting. Maybe it's also because his protection is split between Stacy and Felicia, and on the one hand his lurking around and sending cryptic notes and presents seemed unnecessarily overdramatic, and on the other I don't really like that he killed Noah.   

If Stacy were with Jamie instead I don't know that there is anyone I can think of to pair Derek with. Evan flirting with Vicky is kind of fun and I would be totally fine if he got over Amanda, but I can't picture Amanda (or even the version of Amanda that the writing occasionally hints at that Sandra Ferguson isn't playing) with Derek.

With Sally and Catlin I bought into the whole idea that Sally was in turmoil over Kevin and David and Catlin was both good with Kevin and distractingly attractive to her in contrast to David. I believed in the stakes and when Catlin confessed to David's murder they were at their highest. 

[Contessa Donatella]

@Xanthe  Yeah, the protecting I think of Derek being effective with is of Felicia. But, ya know I definitely don't think Stacy & Derek are as magical as Catlin & Sally were. 

[chrisml]

I think Derek and Stacy could have worked if there had been a game plan, but as with most of Swajeski's writing, the endgame was never thought out. Even if Stacy and Derek hadn't worked out, he could have moved into someone else's orbit. The show just seemed interested in aping the Beauty and the Beast t.v. show without having a purpose for Derek's character. I enjoyed it while it was going on, but it's a bit infuriating in retrospect that it ended up being a waste  of time.

[j swift]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Stacey had dated Jamie prior to her marriage to Mark, during his drug using/screenwriter days.  Unfortunately, she came back during the dud-Jamie days, so I could see why her eye would wonder underground.

In retrospect, another odd thing about Stacey and Derek is that they really marketed that coupling as a Beauty and Beast combo, even though the primetime show was on CBS.  I don't recall if they used the actual phrase in the promotion, or if it was just referenced in the soap press, but the source material was obvious.

I also wonder if they ever referenced Stacey when Morgan was introduced, especially when he needed some legal advice?

[Xanthe]

Was Jamie still using drugs then? I thought that was when he was with Cecile and that she was with Sandy by this time.

Stacey (Terry Davis) came to town after Cass and did some legal work for Jamie (Richard Bekins) regarding his writing.  They started dating but then Mark Singleton showed up and it was revealed that Stacey had had an affair with the married Mark who was running for senate. Mark's wife Janet was willing to put up with the affair and stay in the marriage as long as Mark stayed in politics. Stacey went back to Mark. Richard Bekins left town. Nicole (Kim Morgan Greene) arrived addicted to cocaine. Jamie (now Stephen Yates) returned and pretended to be romantically involved with Stacey in order to protect her from death threats; at the same time he was trying to help Nicole with her drug addiction. Nicole fell in love with Jamie but he got back together with Stacey who then went back to Mark again because she was pregnant with Mark's baby. So Jamie took up with Nicole and eventually Stacey and Mark left town and Jamie and Nicole fizzled out.

I'm not saying that Laurence Lau and Hilary Edson would have been a scintillating couple, but maybe they could have made something work. I thought perhaps he seemed slightly less pompous with her.

I would have preferred it if instead of killing off Megan and Mark Singleton they had either let Stacey show up with Megan, or, if they really needed her to be unencumbered, have it so that Mark had custody. That could have created conflict in her attitude when Jamie was fighting Vicky for custody. Or, if they had to kill off Megan, I wish that they had let Stacey show up with Megan still alive in Mark's custody and then have her get the news of their deaths. That would have allowed us to really get a handle on her grief which I never quite thought we got. 

 

[Melroser]

The only time I liked Hilary Edson was when she was on Jamie's side against Vicky. I thought she and Anne Heche played off each other well. (Of course, Anne elevated everyone in my opinion.) I could not stand the character of Derek as I felt it was a total ripoff of Beauty and the Beast and not even a good one. Stacey and Michael were even worse. I could not understand why Michael would have been interested in someone as bland as Stacey was written and Hilary and Kale had no chemistry, in my opinion. Michael always belonged with Donna. 

I really wanted Evan and Vicky to be a strong couple. They were fun together. Of course, we wouldn't have gotten Ryan I suppose. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I have those scenes between Stacy & Vicky when she really had Vicky's number in my Best of Anne Heche YouTube videos! Just 2 people sitting side by side on a sofa, talking & they are so dynamic. 

Loved Michael & Donna until I saw her paired with Matt! Then all my old allegiance went out the window.

I was so torn. I was a huge Ryan & Vicky fan but Evan was so tempting.

[Xanthe]

Was it in the Valentine for Singles that Stacy talked about wanting to have a baby again? I don't know if that would have been part of the plan for Stacey and Derek. More likely it was simply shorthand for Stacey wanting a romantic relationship. But it's always hard to know whether plans exist and then get derailed because of audience response or other backstage reasons.

[chrisml]

My guess is that Swajeski just did not have any plans at all. Her tenure was full of unfulfilled storyline potential: Evan/Amanda/Sam, Derek/Stacey, Jake's shooting, Olivia, the Red Swan, Iris post-chief Reveal, etc.