Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Continued:

Grady would come up alive and Leah would discover him. Grady wants vengeance on Phillip, much like Leah, who still blames him for causing the split in Mel and Rick's marriage. Grady would poison Phillip at a gala, nearly killing, which Leah would have a hand in [she helps Grady sneak into the masquerade but didn't know he'd poison Phillip]. Cyrus would try and help his brother escape only for him to be killed in the process. Grady would go on the run. Mel would learn she's carrying Cyrus', which Rick offers to help raise much to the chagrin of Mindy.

Leah would be brought up on charges on aiding a criminal and conspiring to murder Phillip, which again she had no idea. Phillip would plead for the charges to be dropped on Rick's behalf, but Jeffery [the DA] wants to pursue it. Phillip, however, threatens to not sponsor Jeffery's campaign, causing him to just place Leah on probation.

At this time, Jason Marler would return to town hellbent on getting revenge on Phillip & Rick, who we all know had a hand in Ross' accident. Very much like his grandfather, Roger, Jason is dastardly. Jason preys on Leah to stick it to Rick while working as in intern in Spaulding, slowly causing demise within the company at Alan's direction.

Rusty would have a long lost daughter, Trista, come to town and she'd be paired with Rocky but attracted to James, her cousin Daisy's man. Trista grew up in Georgia, dirt poor and wants the good life. Rocky is her heart but James is stability.

Also, Rocky has a hard time adjust to Buzz and Lillian's marriage. Especially since Beth was a reason why Coop lost his life. Father and son would feud also over Buzz's lack of fathering, putting the Coopers at odds. Trista tries and smooth things over and nearly does when James drops a bomb--he slept with Trista, causing chaos amongst everyone.

Meanwhile, Rocky's best friend, Kevin Marler, crushes on Daisy. He also has a secret of his own. He wants to be a doctor but Blake wants him to follow in Ross' footsteps. Kevin also looks up to and bonds with Rick. This unnerves Blake as she still holds Rick accountable for helping Phillip escape and that Kevin was once believe to be Rick's child. Blake does everything she can to mold Kevin into the image of his father, not the man that had a hand in his death [Rick].

A childhood friend of Lizzie's, Tierra, would come to town and become the new, hot reporter [a la Gilly Grant, one of my faves]. She falls for Remy, who is now single again, while helping her old friend, Reggie, bring down Alan.

Frank would crush on Cassie but has an obstacle in a much alive Edmund. Frank would later help Cassie find her father, which ticks Hawk off. Cassie's dad and Hawk would compete for Alex's affection, but Cassie's dad is a natural born con artist. He tries to scam money from Cassie and Alex but not before Hawk stops him. Edmund also has his hands full as he's involved with the Diamondhead Organization.

Harley returns from Europe and her beau, John Hu, is involved with Diamondhead too. It's later revealed he caused the plane crash that killed Mike, Meta, Trudy, and injured Hope. He is also in cahoots with Carmen, who used to be an old lover. Edmund, John, and Carmen plan on turning Springfield into the hottest spot for illegal crimes.

Alex is grief stricken when she learns Nick is missing [sN: He was in Europe helping Mike with bringing down Diamondhead]. Alan, wanting to drive Alex over the edge to regain Spaulding, fakes phone calls with Nick's voice. Beth suspects something is up and Alan is involved but joins Alex abroad to find Nick. Alex finds Nick and nurses him back to health with Beth's help. Beth becomes enamored with Nick as he looks like her lost love, Lujack. But things get more complex when Nick returns and Mindy's old feelings return. Beth and Mindy's old rivalry reignites. Rick and Phillip are not pleased with Nick's return, both fearing their wives might want Nick....

[katie_9918]

I also had an idea (totally separate from my Hope/Justin idea) where just prior to Hope's departure, she and Alan somehow fell into bed with each other (both of them probably drunk and surprisingly in a mournful, melancholy mood over the end of their marriage at the same time), but it doesn't change anything and Hope leaves immediately for New York with Alan-Michael.

Four months later, Justin tells Mike that while he and Samantha are in New York for a medical conference, he'll drop in on Hope and Alan-Michael for a visit.

Bert: "Oh, Justin, I wish you wouldn't do that. I just spoke to Hope last night and she's planning to bring Alan-Michael home for a visit."

(In the Springfield of my dreams, Bill Bauer stayed in town after returning from the dead in 1977 and he and Bert finally reconciled and started to make a real go of their marriage for the first time throughout 1978.)

Bill: "I thought she was in the middle of a job?" He and Mike are taken aback.

Bert: "She said she's simply got some loose ends to tie up and she'll be here once they are."

Ed, of course, is the last to find out because he's always the last Bauer to find anything out in the '70s and '80s.

It turns out Hope got pregnant during that "grief?" (not the best way to describe it) sex and once she finds out, she thought about the whole sordid mess over Phillip and decides that only the truth is acceptable in this case. So she returns to Springfield with a young child Alan-Michael (not more than seven or eight years old) and faces Alan head-on with the news.

[Soaplovers]

I do.think the show was leaning toward hope and Alexandra teaming up..based on the war of the roses divorce.brewing between.hope and Alan..but according to people posting on here...the actress didn't agree with Hope.being an alcoholic.So.she was out. Not sure if true or.not.

I do like the hope/Justin idea.. and I think quint and Nola could have easily fit in as the 80s continued.. especially if Nola had opted to work at the journal... as a gossip columnist. She loved to snoop..I could see a lot of comic potential with her eavesdropping..plus Fletcher and maeves reactions to her lol

[zanereed]

I'm loving all this talk about Hope Bauer and how she could have been used better on the show! As katie_9918 stated above, I loved how Hope was more snarky and aggressive at Alan towards the end of her run. Elvera was so good at it, and it was a shame when she was let go.

However, I would have loved to have seen Hope and Ross get together. Alan would be seething at Phillip's biological uncle dating his ex-wife. What a tangled web that would have been! I was actually wondering if the show was going to move in that direction before Hope was written out...

[cassadine1991]

I'm still a bit surprised no one approached Robin Mattson to reprise the role

[cassadine1991]

NBA, wasn't Carmen Santos still comatose when GL went off the air?

I also had several GL ideas over the past 7-8 years

[katie_9918]

I totally agree with you about Ross/Hope (they could have been a tentpole couple), but if you put Alan-Michael in a 7-8 year time warp between 1984-1986 and have Justin take an active part in helping raise him while Alan is lost in San Rios?

The sheer dramatic irony there.

[NothinButAttitude]

That's always stunned me too. After her AMC stint ended in the early '00s, I am surprised that GL didn't try and snag her to reprise the role. Especially when Justin Deas, one the actors that Mattison had stellar chemistry and comedic timing with, was starting to flounder at this time. But then again, I am glad. Some writer would've tried to slap Buzz with Hope and take her out the Bauer and Spaulding orbits altogether.

Yep. But I would've revived her. Unlike most, Carmen didn't bother me b/c she played her role; she was a villain. She was not glorified like other mobsters. My only gripe with her was her obsession go get rid of Michelle but I somewhat understood it.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Nothin'ButAttitude

[zanereed]

Actually, you make a good point there. In fact, being with Justin would have been an even greater thorn in Alan's side than if Hope was with Ross. It would also go right in line with Hope's taste for older men as well.

I've said this again and again on this board, but I strongly believe the reason Hope never came back to the GL canvas was because Alan-Michael was SORAS'ed too much, too soon, in 1987. It would have been difficult to put someone like Elvera next to Carl T. Evans or Rick Hearst and make the mother/son angle believable. Not impossible, mind you...we would just have to suspend disbelief a lot in that instance.

Either that, or you recast Hope with an older actress. Therefore, Hope was only a decade younger than Alan versus two decades when she and Alan got together, married, and then she gave birth to A-M.

[NothinButAttitude]

I don't think it would've been a stretch as the audience would've been happy just to have Hope back.

But weren't there rumor circling around that they were possibly trying to woo Julia Barr to GL as Hope possibly in the final years? I would've been all for that.

[Khan]

I wanted Marcia McCabe to play Hope. Julia Barr, IMO, would have made a much better Dee Stewart on ATWT.

[NothinButAttitude]

I can see Marcia playing hope as she did heavily resemble Elvera. But Julia as Dee? IDK.... I always felt Julia would fit in better on GL than ATWT.

[DRW50]

You're all such talented writers! I had a few ideas too, but not much, really. Mostly just about Vanessa taking control of Spaulding from a very immature Lizzie and this causing a lot of ugliness in the family. And I would have had about 3 people return from the dead, which probably would have annoyed people...

[NothinButAttitude]

Share, Carl! Share!

[slick jones]

Please share, Carl...