Another World

[teplin]

The only thing I didn't like about the anniversary shows -- aside from Mac's absence -- was a completely out-of-character Gwen Frame. Gwen was a sophisticated businesswoman in her first incarnation on the show and all of a sudden she was behaving like a drunken Opal Gardner. I remember hearing that another character was slated to be the one that instigated Rachel's "reunion" with Steve Frame, but that fell through, so they used Gwen instead. I don't recall who the first choice was. All in all, though, it was a great week of shows, and I especially enjoyed seeing the Matthews again -- Pat, Liz, Alice and Russ -- as well as Robert Delaney.

I absolutely loved Cass and Kathleen, one of my favorite soap couples ever. And I was initially very resistant to Frankie, but she ended up winning me over. So much so, that I didn't know who to root for when Kathleen came back -- though the show kind of stacked the deck by writing Kathleen as rather morose and whiny. Understandable, given what she'd been through, but so different than the strong spitfire she was when Cass fell in love with her.

Ann Heche had chemistry with everyone -- but she sizzled with both Paul Michael Valley and Tom Eplin.

[Cat]

I've seen that photo. Alla Korot is in no way shape or form a large girl, but all I remember about that shot was RPG's feather earring and AK's spreadeagled thighs. Eeek.

Tickle him to death with his paintbrushes?

Somebody pointed out in that episode that Carl was squeamish at the sight of blood. I'm thinking Sam will throw some red paint over him and stand there playing with his perm while Carl has a nervous breakdown.

[JackPeyton]

Amanda vs Carl was a fave of what i have seen of AW.

[juniorz1]

OMG! Thank you! I was SO looking forward to that episode coming up on SoapNet, though I knew it would signify the beginning of the end of Kathleen's run. Why, I'll never understand, since there were so many ways they could have gone with her. They could have paired her with Mitch, Jamie, or John Hudson. There were tons of possibilities for her.

In spite of being a guy myself, I enjoy it when a woman gets like that on a soap without coming off like Jane Feminist. Kathleen did just that, which is why she reminded me of such past spunky heroines as SB's Eden, SFT's Sonny, and DAYS's Hope. For some reason, NBC does spunky heroines better than any other network, CBS does the best bitches, and ABC does the best reformed hookers.

Oddly enough, when I read that you mentioned that episode yesterday, I was able to hunt it down & re-watch it. HATED Jensen's Vicky- she didn't even have the chem with Frankie that Anne's Vicky had. The video, in hindsight, was super-cheesy & hilarious- how funny that the image of Dean punching through the glass stuck out in my mind as well. It also cracked me up when they zoom in on RPG's eye for like 30 seconds, until you see Jenna dancing in it. Nice circa-91 special effect for a music video lol.

It surprises me, though, Cat that you can't see the hype about Cali Timmins' Paulina. There's just something so slinky, sneaky, and yet vulnerable, you wanna root for her kinda girl about her. I always felt that there was tons going on under the surface with her Paulina, which is why it should have come as no surprise that she shot Jake. Too bad Evans got to play out much of the ramifications of that reveal. On top of everything else, Timmins had the most bangin, smokin chemistry with Tom Eplin, a big part of the reason why I could never understand, to this day, the hype behind the supposedly smoldering chemistry Judi Evans had with him. I just didn't see it, especially in comparison to Timmins.

I kinda felt that way about Kathleen's role in the video as well Carl. I mean, "the lady in red?"

I kind of liked Brian Green's Sam, though he did become wimpier. It was Daniel Markel's version I really couldn't stand.

And MichaelGL- I completely agree- never before or since have I seen anniversary shows done as well as AW's 25th. I enjoyed their 30th anniversary episodes very much as well, but the ones done in 89 were marvelous. Not only did they bring back a slew of old characters, many of which I'd never met before, but they actually wrote them and gave them something to do besides just show up to the party & have a reunion.

While Gwen may have changed as a character (I hadn't seen her first run so I didn't know), I thought her anger toward Rachel made tons of sense. And especially her scenes with Evan- I really felt she brought out a tenderness in Charles Grant and he really came into his own then. I've seen Grant in quite a few other roles, including on other soaps, but to me, never was he as effective nor as perfectly cast as he was as Evan Bates (Frame) on AW.

Edited October 8, 2010 by juniorz1

[juniorz1]

I LOVED that episode- their first Valentine's Day special ep, "The Case of the Stolen Heart." Any time a soap does a stand alone episode, I always compare it to this episode, a standard that AW set that no other soap has lived up to since. Had it been produced in the 2000s, they would have won an Emmy for that episode.

[DRW50]

They also had a special episode in 1989, Valentine for Singles. I remember it mostly for some fantasy they had with Lisa, as a sitcom housewife. I thought it was odd they involved her when she was just about off the show.

Watching that episode with the meeting was jarring, mostly because of Marley and Paulina. I just can't see Judi Evans as Paulina here -- she seems too tough. And Marley, wow. I'd heard people say that Jensen basically played dressup as Vicky/Marley, but those oversize glasses confirm it.

Didn't Julie Osburn only want to return for a limited run?

It's hard to believe that this is the same show which only 5 years later had thrilling stories like a rape victim being cured through sex with her new boyfriend/killed after he dumps her, and a wife and mother being brutally murdered oncamera. Kathleen was right to leave!

[juniorz1]

I guess, but that didn't make me miss her any less. She was a needed presence and, even if she was only back for a short time, she left a huge void in the canvas that was never filled.

Cat, I just finished re-watching the "meeting" episode & it was pure awesomeness! Loved every minute of it, much as I did the first time I saw it. The only weak point for me is Judi Evans' Paulina vs Jensen Buchanan's Marley- I didn't mind Buchanan's Marley but all I can do is imagine how much better those scenes would have been with Timmins & Heche, especially since Timmins would have probably actually looked sexy in the outfit. It reminds me of the eps where the recasting took place- in the first ep, you had Cali Timmings looking slinky & sexy in that orange dress. The next day, Judi Evans was wearing the same dress and the sex appeal was all gone. Not just because of the way she looked, but the way she carried herself & "wore" that dress.

The Swajeski era was a golden period & was very, very underrated at the time. I wish she received a Best Writing Emmy for it because she deserved it- she got 1 or 2 nominations, but never the win (it's a double-edged sword because I believe SB was the soap that beat them out).

Now Cat, I take it you haven't gotten to the episode yet where they go through with this & half the town, including Felicia & Donna I believe, are in on poisoning him. Another masterpiece episode.

[Cat]

Nope, I haven't. I'm currently on Jenna who goes looking for a dancing job and ends up at a strip bar. Alla Korot's hair is a subject of endless fascination to me.

Meanwhile, Marley and that thumping bore Jamie are on the point of breaking up. Iris has taken some young DA to the dressing up store where Carl is hiding, so that they can choose some costumes for Halowe'en. It is actually pretty hilarious.

And maybe it is because I am unfamiliar with Cali Timmins work, but Judi Evans's Paulina and Jake are courting all that sexual tension, and I. Am. LOVING. IT! Perhaps one of you could recommend an episode where Cali Timmins' talents shine through? I'd like to be able to judge. From the bits and pieces that I have seen, she looked a little stiff and hair-modelish, and almost completely interchangeable lookswise with Sandra Ferguson and Jensen Buchanan. But I'm ready to eat my words!

Judi Evans, OTOH, I love because she makes Paulina so grounded and warm, yet she has this deep, throaty voice which hints at something sexy. And I like how she plays off Tom Eplin. then again, maybe I need to check out Timmons and Eplin together.

Heche-Buchanan and Rambo-Pinter, OTOH? They really stick out as recasts that I just cannot warm to.

Juniorz, the reason I am watching AMC right now is because of Swajeski. I am really impressed with her AW work. In fact, I am watching AW fanatically these past few weeks. I am addicted. I am only sad that I didn't get into it the first time around.

[teplin]

I'm not a fan of Timmins' Paulina, either. I liked her on Ryan's Hope, but she didn't work for me on AW. Any chemistry she shared with Tom Eplin was lost on me. Obviously, other people disagree!

I adored Judi Evans as Paulina and thought she and Eplin were all kinds of hot together, much more so than he and Buchanan's Vicky, which the show promoted as its star couple in the latter days. I think Evans' combination of toughness and warmth also made Paulina a better complement to Rachel and a better foil to Iris.

[SFK]

I was never a big AW viewer, but on a superficial level, I am more taken by Cali T. as Paulina. She really looks like a lithe yet scrappy, gorgeous blonde princess that could be Mac's daughter and Iris' sister. Something about JE is a little more... "middle class" let's say.

Edited October 8, 2010 by SFK

[DRW50]

What I liked about Cali was that she was the little girl lost, which helped explain why people gave her chances, and also why Iris loathed her, as Iris had played that role for most of her life. Yet Paulina also had a backbone.

I haven't seen a lot of early Judi as Paulina. I started watching when Paulina was married to Joe and always depressed and downbeat. She did a great job with that thankless material, she acted the hell out of it. It's just the earlier stuff that I'm not as sure of.

Why do you think JFP broke Jake and Paulina up for good? Was it some issue she had with Judi? Did she see Jensen as more of the ideal?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I heard that Judi and Tom Eplin didn't get along...

[MichaelGL]

Watching the 10/21 episode where the men of Bay City meet to discuss Carl. From the past few episodes I've seen with him, what's the story with Lucas? He gives off that shady/anti-hero type of vibe. Was a he a mobster of sorts?

I've always wanted to hear people's opinion on Lucas's murder, and the whodunnit that followed. I remember years ago, when I used to purchase SOD, they'd have those recaps of AW from years ago, and I read some of the recaps from the story.

[teplin]

I hadn't heard that Judi and Tom didn't get along; in fact, I've read interviews in which Judi gushed about him. However, that could very well be PR puffery. I have heard that Tom could be "difficult" -- whatever that means -- and that Jensen Buchanan knew how to "handle" him. I also think JFP saw Jensen as a more traditional soap heroine than Judi, and I can't deny that. As SFK noted, Judi does come across as "middle class" -- which I very much appreciated on a show that was once grounded so much in class differences. Judi didn't have the typical soap actress body type, either, I'm sure JFP had problems with that.

Cali T. does look and act like the princess that Mac would have raised -- but he didn't raise Paulina, he didn't know anything about her. I will say that there's no way Judi and Dack Rambo would have worked.

[teplin]

I've been rewatching some old AWs after reading this thread the past few days. I used to dig the old-style P&G soap crawl with the credits rolling over some of the day's actors moving about a set -- but boy, did I come to love AW's freeze-frame close!