Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Mitch]

LOL..I actually liked the show during the first few months of McTavish. Loved the return to the Boardinghouse and Nola...I don't think she was so poorly written..I loved her as the annoying Aunt instigator busybody. I especially loved her and Vanessa bickering again. I think that Maeve Kinkaid really liked having Brown back, she had gotten so cold and blaise by this time (The whole Matt thing and her constantly sighing) that Nola's return seem to light a fire under her and both Brown and Kinkaid mixed their lines with the right amount of annimosity, affection and love. McTrash "got," their relationship.

[DRW50]

I think the main issue people had was the Quint cheating story.

[Mitch]

Which was so stupid.....I think it was mostly the Quolas that were bithcing about that and they were as about as nuts as the Rassies and the Mannys. The actor had a job elsewhere so what were they going to do (thoughI would have had him missing in an avalanche or something stupid like that.) I did like the actor from Days as Quint, he gave him a manly kind of authority outdoorsy thing that the other actor couldnt. Which was weird as I never liked him on Days.

[Soaplovers]

I think the Nola/Quint break-up was realistic.. but I always thought Nola would have been the one to leave him.. not vice versa. It was like the show was trying to turn Nola into Iva. Nola always seemed restless and wanting to try new things instead of being satisfied with what she had.

I think she loved Quint because of the mystery and excitement that she had always dreamed of.. but once they had married and had the two children, she became bored. While I think Pam Long was able to write Nola decently, I don't think she was able to read her 100 %. Nola always was bored and wanted to try new things, but I don't think opening up an aerobics studio was the way to go. Nola was a snoop and a curious cat so I would have seen her mixing it up with Fletcher (hence she would have been involved in the haunted cottage story with Tony/Annabelle).. and being an annoying tagalong on his capers.

Perhaps Quint could have gotten the job in that faraway land and presented that to Nola, who would gladly jump at the chance to go with him because it would be a new adventure. That is how I would have written them off with Nola willing to go.

Then jump several years in the future, Nola is restless again and leaves Quint while taking the kids with her. She becomes restless with her travels and decides to come back to Springfield to regroup. She wouldn't be so bitter and Iva-like, but still Nola wanting adventure..but a more mature version of Nola, if that make sense.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think part of that was down to Brown, acting-wise, she just couldn't shake Iva out of her system.

I guess, subconsciously, she associated Nola with her youth, and Iva was who she was closer to as an adult.

[Khan]

If Lisa Brown had to return to GUIDING LIGHT without Michael Tylo, then I would have been fine with Quint being killed, off-screen, in some sort of archaeological expedition. Then, if Tylo were to return down the road, you could reverse it quite easily, say he wasn't REALLY dead, and create a good mystery out of it. And if not...? That's fine, too. Nola could grieve a little, and then find love again (preferably with John Wesley Shipp's Kelly Nelson, if he had been willing to return). Either way, I loved Quint and Nola, but I never considered them "sacred" or anything. I'll buy whichever story you write for me, so long as it's told from character, and you take all the necessary steps to get me where you want me to go.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Khan

[Mitch]

I think the problem was that they wanted to bring Nola on and throw her right in doing Nolaish things without mourning, etc. They could have rectified that by having Henry say, "Well, with Quint missing in that expedition, for what, has it been a year now...we can now unfortunatley declare him dead...both Nola and I have done our mourning so I suppose we move on the best we can." I would have bought it though I think other viewers would say, "Why havent we heard about this before!!!" I think Quint's "death," would be just what would make Nola come back to Springfield to re-group and "help," her family and friends there.

I do think that Brown had a problem channeling Nola again and that the backstory of being the wronged wife didn't help...(I see Nola beating the crap out of the other woman and dumping Quint..but...)

Soaplover that is funny, but I always saw Nola with a Fletcher type character, investigating things, etc. Quint after the mystery was solved was boring. I also thought it so odd that she wasnt invovled in the Cabin Mystery as that was right up Nola's alley. Something had to be happening backstage with that.

[Soaplovers]

I agree, considering how involved she was in the Annabelle Sims mystery. She was funny, quirky and intelligent during that mystery.. even Quint said it was eerie how logical she was being LOL

With her being involved with the cabin mystery, it would have bought up character based conflict with Quint.

[Khan]

Something was happening. P&G had passed down a mandate to then-HW's Pam Long and Jeff Ryder to de-emphasize Quint and Nola (and most of Doug Marland's characters) on the show.

[Soaplovers]

I did read an interview with Pam Long stating that she loved writing for the Reardons especially Tony & Nola.

I could see the mandate handed down in 1984 for her to shift the focus from them, even though she wrote some good episodes for the Reardons (there was one from Feb. 1985 where the whole family went bowling right before Jim was due to leave to go on a think tank.).

[Mitch]

From the change in tone from the show I can see that happening (and funny that they hit number 1 when the Bauers, Reardons, Reva, Spauldings and Lewis were ALL written for, and they dropped like a stone after that..) but what I dont get is how ATWT was focusing on their core at this time, and Marland came back what, that fall a year later and started writing for all the core characters and bringing back Nancy and Chris...that much couldn't have changed..plus GL didnt try to restore any of those problems later.

[DRW50]

I think it might be because GL had sort of become the younger, hipper show of the P&G set - ATWT had not ever managed to successfully transition a teen scene during the years GL did (80-84). I think there were higher expectations for GL. And then by the time ATWT began to move back toward family, that was when GL had started the significant declines, so perhaps P&G had gotten the hint.

It's always strange to think about because the Bauers were actually a far more modern family than the Hughes. You didn't have Bob with a half-sister, or anything like that. And of course ATWT did try to gut the Hughes family, but they were rebuilt. It's too bad no one ever cared about doing that with the Bauers.

Edited May 30, 2013 by CarlD2

[jam6242]

One of my biggest gripes with Nola's return was her obsession with Buzz. I just couldn't see her being attracted to him. He was the type she always dreamed of getting away from. I don't think being married to Quint would have changed that.

[DRW50]

It was like someone said hey, Nola used to be crazy and delusional, so let's go back to this. They never gave any reason for why she wanted Buzz, and the story was so cliched and joyless.

[Soaplovers]

I would have seen Nola going for a mysterious guy, or a successful reporter/professional.. not someone blue collar like Buzz.. imho

Of course, I never understood why Jenna would go for Buzz either.