It's great seeing Chris Knight in those super-quality full episodes posted, but bizarre seeing him as the love interest of Jennifer Runyon's Sally - for the sole reason that they later played siblings in A Very Brady Christmas. LOL

I still don't know why Charlie Hobson had to die

Ageism perhaps? In any case, I recall someone alleged that scenes and dialogue between Ada and Rachel surrounding the immediate aftermath of his death had been lifted from Gil's death a few years before. The viewer and his mother memorably summarized it as "just another dead husband for Ada".

Edited May 11, 201510 yr by soapfan770

I wouldn't be surprised.

I liked Charlie. I thought he and Ada were a good match.

It was always hard to believe he was Clarice's father though.

I honestly have never quite understood how saccharine Clarice lasted as long as she did. I suppose if she had a lasted any longer she would have been done in by the Sin Stalker, who also did in the pie-serving waitress.

I think part of it was longevity (many of the other women introduced in Clarice's run didn't stay around long), and also because she was sweet and nice, a little quirky, she and Larry were a believable, likeable couple, she had good relationships with Ada, Blaine, etc.

I agree that she likely would have been killed if she'd stayed past 1986, but I do think it would have been interesting to see her tangle with CD's Iris, especially if Iris became fond of Cory, like a son.

I know that many critics have said that the Sopranos was the death of saccharine to the general TV viewing audience as they preferred gray characters, but do you think the late 80s was the shift from characters like Clarice for characters like Vicky?

I don't think Vicky was that new to AW - AW had a lot of female schemers during Cecile's run. I do think AW struggled somewhat in later years with writing ingenues and "good" women, rather than bad girls who slowly became good (like Paulina, Lorna and Vicky). Look at all the problems they had writing for Marley. I think if there was a shift it was in AW moving fully away from that earthier side. Even Sharlene was very glamorous outside of the apron and the hair on top of her head.

Do you think that earthier characters could make it in today's soaps? Or do you think those types of characters are dead/a thing of the past?

Edited May 11, 201510 yr by Nothin'ButAttitude

Do you think that earthier characters could make it in today's soaps? Or do you think those types of characters are dead/a thing of the past?

I do, yes.

But they would likely all be written as cornpone trash and never have a shot.

The last time I remember a soap sort of trying to make earthier characters was Ron "me and my ego" Carlivati with the Texas group, but sadly that included the trainwreck known as Farah Finger, so it all went to hell. By the time those two idiots were working for Dorian, I'd gone into full cringe mode.

Edited May 11, 201510 yr by DRW50

I do, yes.

But they would likely all be written as cornpone trash and never have a shot.

The last time I remember a soap sort of trying to make earthier characters was Ron "me and my ego" Carlivati with the Texas group, but sadly that included the trainwreck known as Farah Finger, so it all went to hell. By the time those two idiots were working for Dorian, I'd gone into full cringe mode.

Cornpone like the Dingles of ED? If so, I can do without earthy characters.

No, I mean cornpone like even more of caricatures than we got of Billy Clyde or Opal on AMC. Or that Kentucky Bluebird on SFT. Or the country cousin cliche you used to get on sitcoms.

I've been watching some of the 1980/81 stuff on YT, and I was surprised that Dorothy Lyman lasted as long as she had,. For some reason, I thought Gwen was gone before the 90-minute expansion, but she's still there, at least through late 1980/early 1981. She must've landed AMC shortly after leaving AW. They were definitely inching toward an involvement with Ron Harper's Taylor Halloway, but she and Ron Harper had absolutely no chemistry and his character was such a dud from the get-go. Of course they would be reunited a decade later on Generations. They also had her serving as Joey's confidante. Does anyone know how that came about? Weren't Gwen and Joey's sister Angie competing for Willis at one point?

Wasn't Angie like Willis' kept woman?

Gwen was his boss at Frame Construction, so that may be why they became close.

The line was that she left for her theater work (the A Coupla White Chicks... play). Not sure if it's true or not, as the departure seemed abrupt, but who knows. I wish we could see more of her run. I felt a little sorry for her when she said in a later interview that she came back for the anniversary and the Gwen she was playing bore no resemblance to the woman she'd been before. They really just wrote her as Opal without an accent. Only in her last scene where she apologized to Rachel did she seem more human.

Edited May 12, 201510 yr by DRW50

Yes, yes, agreed that they Opal-fied Gwen when she returned. The character bore little resemblance to when Dorothy played her years earlier. It was an obvious ratings ploy. In the scheme of things, Gwen wasn't all that important to the AW narrative and would never have been brought back had Dorothy not gone on to bigger and better things. And apparently, she would've returned to AMC when they resurrected Opal in 1989, but she claims that she was never asked to reprise the role.

No, I mean cornpone like even more of caricatures than we got of Billy Clyde or Opal on AMC. Or that Kentucky Bluebird on SFT. Or the country cousin cliche you used to get on sitcoms.

Oh OK. But I don't see how those types of characters would even fit on the remaining four soaps. Well maybe DAYS but that's about it. I think they tried that with Clyde but it's failing miserably.