On 11/15/2024 at 8:58 AM, Maxim said:

Episode 5860 - July 21 1987

I don't know if I'm going to be able to endure more of this period. This is not the late 1988-early 1989 Another World that I started watching and loving couple of weeks ago. This is another show. What a difference a new head writer makes! Wow! I expected not to notice much difference. Am I imagining it? Someone tell me. I'm 5 episodes in and finding so many irritating things in the writing and characterisations. Maybe it will get better. I sure hope so. I miss the Donna Swajeski episodes I was watching.

So what was going on - it was a stormy night in Bay City. Donna nearly died from a fire she stupidly caused in a pathetic scene that only Bold and the Beautiful can rival. John, of course saved her. How predictable. 

Lisa confessed to Felicia that she was raped in a highly one dimensional melodramatic scene that lacked only a clown with a violin in the background. I guess I should get used to everything being served so direct. That scene could have been written so much better. And did we really need this lame diary? To follow her around in her princess dress writing in it... dramatically?  It's infantile for her age. I guess we may say she's emotionally stunted since she was traumatized in the past, but overall it looks and feels cartoonish. But hey it was better than the masochistic Modesta I was a hooker fiasco. 

In this current 1987 regime everything is repeated to ad nauseam. There are nearly none of the subtext and dimensions that are there in late 1988. At least not right now. God... I should have listened to the people who told me to keep watching 1989. But hey... I'll still keep trying. Maybe it's just a bad batch of episodes. 5 episodes is not the end. 

Overall - 4/10. Don't hate me.

This was an odd place for SopaNet to start airing AW..but I think they choose this because of Anne Heche was coming on and it was after the serial killer story.

This period from mid 1987 to January 1988 will start the Lisa vs Vicky, Cass/Nicole,  and Sam/Amanda.   Stories that dominate in the period you are watching now.

Depriest started a lot of those threads...and Donna S and Lemay carry them on.

That was what I had always been told, that they started there because of Anne Heche beginning then. Of course, since P&G employed the evil practice of wiping, very little before 1980 exists. 

These are the digital files I have that apply to AW. 

AW 1989 Consecutive Episodes - Jul 28 to Aug 24, 1989
AW 1980 Consecutive Episodes - Aug 1 to Aug 15, 1980
AW Connie Ford Edits: Famous Slap A Summer Place, Rome Adventure, Ada’s Kitchen Boogie; Ada sings! Ada & Nancy Argue; Ada worried about getting older
AW Anne Heche Edits: The Day She Destroyed the Ladies Room; Various Tributes; Her Last 4 Days
AW Promos: Men of AW; Sam & Amanda in “Leaves”; Breakaway
Beverlee McKinsey The City Lights Interview (rare, Canadian, best, most candid)
The Another World Fan Bench compilation videos. Created in 2000 to raise $5,000 for the bench in Central Park, almost a dozen files: The Lovely Ada Vol 1, 2 & 3; Cory Christmas Vol. 1, 2 & 3 (The Snowflake Ball is included.); Mac & Rachel Vol. 2 & 3; Carl & Rachel Vol. 1, 2 & 3.
AW KBAY Match Dare Telethons Pt. 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
AW Christmases almost 2 dozen

AW Mac's toasts 4 of them

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

This period from mid 1987 to January 1988 will start the Lisa vs Vicky, Cass/Nicole,  and Sam/Amanda.   Stories that dominate in the period you are watching now.

Depriest started a lot of those threads...and Donna S and Lemay carry them on.

I always forget that between Depriest and Lemay, Sheri Anderson was HW for a few months before the strike. Lemay typically gets credits for any real movement during the strike period.

I think Lemay/Swajeski improved on the stories they continued but actually wrapped up a few things that had outstayed their welcome.

Depriest had Rhonda Lewin's Vicky show interest in Larry Lau's Jamie soon after he arrived, but after Rhonda left, Jamie met Lisa and fell in love with her. IIRC Vicky started setting her sights on Jamie after her coma in fall 1987 but she didn't get very far with him until the following summer when she managed to get pregnant during the strike. And of course Lisa was written out early in 1988.

Similarly Depriest brought back Nicole as a love interest for Cass, but Lemay/Swajeski wrote her out by mid-1989. If the previous regime had done a better job of integrating Nicole into other relationships maybe she could have survived, or if they cut her out for not being a Frame they could have gone full-bore on making her Jason Frame's daughter. I preferred Frankie with Cass but I wish that Nicole and Peter had not been burned after the Reginald era.

Amanda's horizons opened up -- instead of being limited to her love of Sam and unexpected pregnancy, she had more real work and interactions with Iris, Evan, Vicky, and so on. I could have wished for a stronger actress, but it makes sense that Lemay would want to centre the character.

 

2 hours ago, Xanthe said:

I always forget that between Depriest and Lemay, Sheri Anderson was HW for a few months before the strike. Lemay typically gets credits for any real movement during the strike period.

I think Lemay/Swajeski improved on the stories they continued but actually wrapped up a few things that had outstayed their welcome.

Depriest had Rhonda Lewin's Vicky show interest in Larry Lau's Jamie soon after he arrived, but after Rhonda left, Jamie met Lisa and fell in love with her. IIRC Vicky started setting her sights on Jamie after her coma in fall 1987 but she didn't get very far with him until the following summer when she managed to get pregnant during the strike. And of course Lisa was written out early in 1988.

Similarly Depriest brought back Nicole as a love interest for Cass, but Lemay/Swajeski wrote her out by mid-1989. If the previous regime had done a better job of integrating Nicole into other relationships maybe she could have survived, or if they cut her out for not being a Frame they could have gone full-bore on making her Jason Frame's daughter. I preferred Frankie with Cass but I wish that Nicole and Peter had not been burned after the Reginald era.

Amanda's horizons opened up -- instead of being limited to her love of Sam and unexpected pregnancy, she had more real work and interactions with Iris, Evan, Vicky, and so on. I could have wished for a stronger actress, but it makes sense that Lemay would want to centre the character.

 

I think Lemay centered several AW characters during his short run in 1988.  He certainly made Felicia and Lisa more interesting and believable.  He centered Rachel by giving her "bite" back to her.  I think he helped center Donna, after the fiasco with Reginald, by strengthening her and making her more of an entitled snob -- as she had been when first created.  He probably would have done even more with Donna, had Anna Stuart still been in the role.  He made Sam believable as a real artist.  He was working more with Marley. And I agree, he did interesting things with Amanda.  I could go on and on.  I really wish he had stayed on as head writer for at least three or four years.   

Edited November 16, 20241 yr by Mona Kane Croft

3 hours ago, Xanthe said:

I always forget that between Depriest and Lemay, Sheri Anderson was HW for a few months before the strike. Lemay typically gets credits for any real movement during the strike period.

It is so weird. I never even remember that Sheri Anderson wrote for AW. I think of her at DAYS primarily but then some at GH. WHY don't I count her among AW writers?!!!

 

3 hours ago, Xanthe said:

I think Lemay/Swajeski improved on the stories they continued but actually wrapped up a few things that had outstayed their welcome.

Depriest had Rhonda Lewin's Vicky show interest in Larry Lau's Jamie soon after he arrived, but after Rhonda left, Jamie met Lisa and fell in love with her. IIRC Vicky started setting her sights on Jamie after her coma in fall 1987 but she didn't get very far with him until the following summer when she managed to get pregnant during the strike. And of course Lisa was written out early in 1988.

Here, I don't remember Rhonda Lewin, basically, at all. 

3 hours ago, Xanthe said:

Similarly Depriest brought back Nicole as a love interest for Cass, but Lemay/Swajeski wrote her out by mid-1989. If the previous regime had done a better job of integrating Nicole into other relationships maybe she could have survived, or if they cut her out for not being a Frame they could have gone full-bore on making her Jason Frame's daughter. I preferred Frankie with Cass but I wish that Nicole and Peter had not been burned after the Reginald era.

I was never a Nicole Love fan even though she was played by 3 different actors & every single iteration of her was also a different character, or so it seemed to me. 

 

1 hour ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

I think Lemay centered several AW characters during his short run in 1988.  He certainly made Felicia and Lisa more interesting and believable.  He centered Rachel by giving her "bite" back to her.  I think he helped center Donna, after the fiasco with Reginald, by strengthening her and making her more of an entitled snob -- as she had been when first created.  He probably would have done even more with Donna, had Anna Stuart still been in the role.  He made Sam believable as a real artist.  He was working more with Marley. And I agree, he did interesting things with Amanda.  I could go on and on.  I really wish he had stayed on as head writer for at least three or four years.   

Definitely -- I was not trying to suggest that he promoted Amanda at the expense of other characters. I was just thinking about the extent to which he had and had not continued what Depriest had started, and TBH wondering whether he would have wanted to recast Amanda as he had Marianne and Alice. 

 

Episode 5861 - July 24 1987

 

What a horrible period for the McKinnon family.  Cass came back and revealed that his wife... died... in a plane crash. The melodrama was dripping from the dialogue and 2 circus clowns were playing violins again. And after episodes of crying about the prostitute Modesta, now another reason to cry. These people will dehydrate themselves!

I truly hope this is just some kind of cast-cleanse that is happening right now. Overall pretty strange episode. And one of the most bizarre things was that Cass was already smiling... so was Mary...  like literally minutes after revealing his wife had passed away. LOL. I would ask WHO wrote this sh-t... but I already know! Not good. Not good. But I have a 6th sense feeling that it's going to get better soon. Maybe I'm just too positive... But know what... just the thought that the amazing 1989 episodes are waiting for me to get to them some day... is encouraging me to keep watching. I tell myself - this is the same show, you are only just watching couple of bad episodes!

Screenshots - is this how people smile after a loved one has passed in a plane crash? 🤣 

 

 

Edited November 17, 20241 yr by Maxim

4 hours ago, Contessa Donatella said:

It is so weird. I never even remember that Sheri Anderson wrote for AW. I think of her at DAYS primarily but then some at GH. WHY don't I count her among AW writers?!!!

 

Anderson was there from February to April 1988.  Her biggest contribution to AW was Wallingford’s memorial service.  The writers’ strike occurred, and it was announced that Harding Lemay would return as headwriter.

36 minutes ago, watson71 said:

Anderson was there from February to April 1988.  Her biggest contribution to AW was Wallingford’s memorial service.  The writers’ strike occurred, and it was announced that Harding Lemay would return as headwriter.

Such a short term!!! Wally's Memorial was wonderfully scripted. Thanks for the info. I can never not be happy, though about Pete coming back home!!! 

45 minutes ago, Maxim said:

Episode 5861 - July 24 1987

 

What a horrible period for the McKinnon family.  Cass came back and revealed that his wife... died... in a plane crash. The melodrama was dripping from the dialogue and 2 circus clowns were playing violins again. And after episodes of crying about the prostitute Modesta, now another reason to cry. These people will dehydrate themselves!

I truly hope this is just some kind of cast-cleanse that is happening right now. Overall pretty strange episode. And one of the most bizarre things was that Cass was already smiling... so was Mary...  like literally minutes after revealing his wife had passed away. LOL. I would ask WHO wrote this sh-t... but I already know! Not good. Not good. But I have a 6th sense feeling that it's going to get better soon. Maybe I'm just too positive... But know what... just the thought that the amazing 1989 episodes are waiting for me to get to them some day... is encouraging me to keep watching. I tell myself - this is the same show, you are only just watching couple of bad episodes!

Screenshots - is this how people smile after a loved one has passed in a plane crash? 🤣 

 

 

Kathleen! Trivia: Julie Osborne (sp?) who played Kathleen had both of the actresses who played her sister MJ as attendants in her wedding IRL. 

 

Killing off Kathleen was dumb. Cass could have returned solo and revealed he and Kathleen were having problems. Maybe her career had taken off and he felt neglected. 

Kathleen puts off returning, Cass decides to go and see her, only to find another man at her apartment. Concluding Kathleen has moved on, a dejected Cass has  a fling with another woman. A recast Kathleen returns and the Winthrops try and put things back together. Minimum of 6 months story material.

20 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

Killing off Kathleen was dumb. Cass could have returned solo and revealed he and Kathleen were having problems. Maybe her career had taken off and he felt neglected. 

Kathleen puts off returning, Cass decides to go and see her, only to find another man at her apartment. Concluding Kathleen has moved on, a dejected Cass has  a fling with another woman. A recast Kathleen returns and the Winthrops try and put things back together. Minimum of 6 months story material.

I don't think a recast Kathleen would have worked. Julie Osburn was what made the character special, as shown in the otherwise iffy material in Kathleen's 1991 return. I do wish they hadn't killed her off. I might have killed off Mary (as it wasn't like they were doing anything of worth with the character anyway) and then Cass would reveal that Kathleen told him she had to get away from everyone to deal with losing her mother again just as she had found her. After a while she could have sent him a note saying she was divorcing him as she needed a clean break from her life in Bay City.

@DRW50 I kind of agree, but a recast might be worth atry. If it didn't work out, Kathleen could have quickly been written out.

I always though Susan Scannell might have worked as Kathleen

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/ffat98.jpg

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

I don't think a recast Kathleen would have worked. Julie Osburn was what made the character special, as shown in the otherwise iffy material in Kathleen's 1991 return. I do wish they hadn't killed her off. I might have killed off Mary (as it wasn't like they were doing anything of worth with the character anyway) and then Cass would reveal that Kathleen told him she had to get away from everyone to deal with losing her mother again just as she had found her. After a while she could have sent him a note saying she was divorcing him as she needed a clean break from her life in Bay City.

Agree that a recast would have been at a minimum high risk. In theory I believe anyone can be recast, but not all should!

2 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Killing off Kathleen was dumb. Cass could have returned solo and revealed he and Kathleen were having problems. Maybe her career had taken off and he felt neglected. 

Kathleen puts off returning, Cass decides to go and see her, only to find another man at her apartment. Concluding Kathleen has moved on, a dejected Cass has  a fling with another woman. A recast Kathleen returns and the Winthrops try and put things back together. Minimum of 6 months story material.

Was it dumb even if she was only soap dead?

@Paul Raven That's totally fair. I do like Susan and she could have clicked as Kathleen.