While the Dobsons were certainly missed on GL in '80-'81, they did a superb job, on balance, of reinvigorating ATWT in my estimation. Pairing Dr. John Dixon with Dee Stewart was a masterstroke that reheated the Stewart/Dixon conflict and yielded Emmy nominations for actors L. Bryggman and H. Forsythe. Tying Dixon to Bob's new love interest, Lyla, further cemented Dixon's reach as a story catalyst. James Stenbeck, while more cartoonish than GL's Alan, added an upscale Euro dimension and provided years of intrigue. Nick brought an earthy, ethnic touch to produce a somewhat different brand of suitor for Kim. Killing off Jay Stallings, albeit rather awkwardly in a mining accident offscreen, opened new story avenues for Carol. The '80 weak link, in my view, was the Brad Hollister character, whose land deals, silver mining business, nebulous ties to Stenbeck, and roving eye seemed forced and out of synch with Oakdale's texture.
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sudz ·
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