I wasn't watching AW at that point. I've heard people say that it was unpleasant and mean-spirited, especially her insulting Charlie for having a heart condition. JFP's version of the show seemed to have a very nasty edge.

I didn't like it. Her insulting and fighting with Frankie was one thing, but, like Carl said, I thought her insulting Charlie and her rudeness towards the heart condition was nasty and unnecessary. I also didn't like the story with her and Maggie. Her basically telling Maggie that Cass was her father, having Maggie build a relationship with Cass, Frankie, and Charlie, and then saying "oh oops never mind I lied" just all seemed like a waste of time and pointless.

^

So it can be said that during Cecile's last run, she was written out of character? B/c I've seen old clips of Cecile and to me, they don't match up to the last run of Cecile, which I got to see in real time. I mean she's still a schemer but she wasn't as vicious in the past as she was when JFP was at helm.

Also, would the Maggie/Cass paternity thing considered a retcon? Going off from what I've collected, was Cecile and Cass even courting then? Didn't Cass debut around the time Cecile was already embarking on the custody battle with Sandy?

I think they claimed that Cass and Cecile had had a dalliance before he moved to Bay City. It was a retcon, and then the show undid it anyway.

I caught up with the YouTube channel, there was a scene in a November 1995 episode where Diego Serrano's (I thought it was him) character mentioned dreaming of being a vampire. WTF? There was a vampire storyline on AW?

^

Not that I recall. The show had some looney stories towards the end (i.e. the Lumina mess ) but I don't think they got that looney.

NBC pressured AW to do venture into the supernatural because DAYS was having great success with outlandish plots at the time. Supposedly, a vampire story was conceived and greenlighted, and that Diego scene was supposed to be the kickoff of it. But someone in power, I don't know who, thought better of it and the story was dropped completely. (Thank goodness.)

I'm a child of Harding LeMay's AW. I don't think there's ever been a better soap -- if you like sophisticated drawing-room drama, that is (not everybody does). I felt a love and affection for those characters, especially Rachel, that kept me watching through many lean years. The show was really terrible in the early 80s ... I mean really, really terrible. But it rebounded with some savvy casting and great chemistry, romantic and otherwise. Newcomers like Linda Dano, Stephen Schnetzer, Anna Stuart, Tom Eplin and Anna Holbrook, along with Vicky Wyndham and Connie Ford, kept me watching in the late 80s-early 90s, when things got pretty bad again. (Though I watch some of those years on YouTube now and think they're leagues ahead of what passes for soap opera today.)

I do think the friendship aspect had a lot to do with any success the show enjoyed in its latter years. I know I typically enjoyed the interplay between such characters as Felicia-Cass-Wally-Lily-Dee, Jake-Vicky, Rachel-Felicia and Sharlene-Frankie more than most of the plots the show presented.

Thanks, teplin. That was a relief to know. I find myself enjoying the show (I mean what I've seen online over the years) for the same reasons you listed.

A tiny moment of AW near the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL3GitwHwvQ

I just noticed that Carl changed his name. NOOOOO Carl! Change it back!

I just noticed that Carl changed his name. NOOOOO Carl! Change it back!

I'm sure he will once Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary passes...?

Every remaining soap currently on the air, Daytime or PT, can be canceled tomorrow if I could get AW back. And I'm talking about reruns!!!!!

Has this been posted yet? I am apprised it is from 1979 and may be Lemay, or right on that borderline around that time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kPGsaDQCxs

I think a lot of it is Lemay, some Tom King. I'm glad you posted it. Wyndham and Watson were at their best. Christine Jones was also superb in that story, with the DVDs/tapes from Eddie Drueding showing more of her mental breakdown over time. (I just wish the whole story was out there)

Thank you so much for posting this, it made my week! I think most of this reflects LeMay plotting, but the dialogue is King and staff. It's not as sharp as LeMay's stuff, but there's still some great meaty material for Wyndham, Watson, Ford and even McKinsey in a short sequence. It's cool that Rachel is clearly the show's heroine, but she's allowed to be willful, spiteful and vindictive. That's the Rachel I fell in love with!