Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

They seemed to start down this path when she went back to work and was feuding with Vicky, but that quickly just turned into her being shamed and Beth throwing herself at Matt.

[TVFAN1144]

I’ve been watching clips of James Spaulding and Daisy (Susan).   I like these two as a couple and I don’t try to give myself a headache about the logistics of their ages with SORAS and delayed SORA
 

Hard for me to get used to the gimmicky production format of the final months   The constant vocal music backgrounds….dialogue and plots and timing almost cartoonish or like a sit com (Bill Lewis in jail for James Ponzi scheme…anything with Lizzie)   Some of the outdoor scenes are nice and reunions at the barbecue and final weeks

Alan Spaulding’s death was fairly good closure although the goodbyes and bonding with Alexandria seemed to forget things weren’t all rosy with these two  

 

 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

I loved Kati Mac & had had two of her CDs for several years before GL began to use her. I thought with Alex & Alan, things were just forgiven & forgotten easily, regularly. It seemed to me that they drove each other crazy & that it didn't matter to them. The way her grief hit her when Alan died, really touched me.

[Contessa Donatella]

It doesn't sound strange. Characters that have good relatability are as much like our friends & family as our actual friends & family are to us. That's why I say if there's dying going on there'd better be crying going on. It is true that we invite these people into our homes 5 days a week.

[DRW50]

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[TVFAN1144]

Who would have been a good replacement to play Mike Bauer?  Some have said Jed Alllen.  Here’s some others

 

Donald May. My choice

Nicolas Coster- although I don’t think he got along with Beverly Mckinsey

 

David Bailey

Lee Patterson from OLTL

[Paul Raven]

How about John Colenback ex Dan ATWT?

[j swift]

An ancillary question to who could have been cast as Mike Bauer, is (a) when in the plot timeline would you have brought him back and (b) what would be the purpose of his return to Springfield.

For me, it would have either been after Roger's return at Phillip and Blake's wedding as a federal prosecutor in the litigation of Roger for his prior crimes, only to lose the case due to Alan's unlawful procurement of evidence (which is more credible than Roger getting immunity through the CIA).  Alan and Roger's feud was missing the historical context of Mike. 

Or, to help Alexandra run Spaulding after her marriage to Roger and allow them to play out their abandoned love story (Alex & Mike, not Mike & Roger; just in case I was being confusing).

Edited June 19, 2022 by j swift

[slick jones]

Mike was a single parent to Hope for most of her life, so I would imagine she would have considered him a stable father figure...

[Contessa Donatella]

Yeah, I always thought he was very connected father to daughter. He could easily have had strong familial feelings about a niece.

[j swift]

If you'll excuse the old reference, that was a total Rosanne Rosanna Danna moment for me, of course Mike loved Hope; just a mistake on my part, and sorry to Mr. Richard Feder.

But, when do you think would have been the optimal point for his return?

[Mitch64]

Such a missed opportunity.  I think in an earlier time writers would have written a good triangle...Vanessa getting back to baiscs and going head to head with Alan with help from Billy, Matt and Beth being attracted to each other not because of age, but Matt feeling left out and Beth at the pint in her life where she felt lost also. I would have had Beth start an abuse counseling business, and maybe Matt helps her with construction on an abuse victims home and thing progress slowly, with not vixen's or villian or "old" women.

[DRW50]

That's a great idea. I think if they had written Beth as being a real person and not as a constantly desperate schemer, she and Matt slowly falling for each other (and Matt wanting to "save" her as he originally did Vanessa) would have worked. 

Anyway, I saw that these two original versions of the '86-91 theme were uploaded. I always associate this with later characters so it's weird seeing way too much of, say, Calla Matthews. Or RVV Ed and Ellen Parker's Maureen - in my head  they just didn't overlap. I do like that both work in John Bolger, who was model gorgeous enough to be well-suited to this type of intro.

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[Patrick D]

Yes, that would’ve been much more interesting. I’m not sure the writers ever delved into who Beth really was after Beth C started playing her. She always seemed to serve plot to me. I thought if Mindy (preferably Kimberley Simms) came back and built a connection with Matt, it would have been more conflict for Matt/Vanessa since Vanessa was close to her (vs the Dinah/Vanessa/Matt retread of Blake/Holly/Ross) and vixen Beth. And then throw Nick in since he and Beth never interacted, if I’m remembering correctly. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Patrick D

[zanereed]

I agree completely. Although, I might have done it a bit earlier in the storyline. When Alexandra is trapped on the island with Roger (Adam), I would have had the rescue team find Alex, but it wouldn't have been led by Fletcher, it would have been led by Mike Bauer. Why? Mike Bauer was working with the feds to hunt down Adam Malek. The fact that Mike had previous history with Alex would only serve to help the story more.

Mike would return Alex safely back to Springfield, and reunite with his immediate family. While there, Ed and Maureen would persuade Mike to stay in Springfield for awhile, at least for Phillip and Blake's wedding (and hopefully the show would remember Mike had history with both of them!!!). Mike reluctantly agrees...or he appears to...

...because in reality Mike has no intention of leaving Springfield, at least right away. Unknown to Ed and Holly, Mike is there because he has uncovered alleged evidence of a government operative, who is currently going by the alias of Adam Malek. Mike's evidence points to the fact that this operative is actually Roger Thorpe. Because Mike shouldn't even be privy to this information plus having no crystal-clear evidence, Mike keeps this information to himself. However, Mike eventually encounters his old friend/enemy, Alan Spaulding, while in Springfield, and Alan begins to suspect that he, himself, isn't the only one who believes Roger is still alive...

Mike tries to set up a series of "traps" for Roger, in order to bring him out in the open. As always. Roger stays one step ahead of Mike (barely, of course, so that Mike doesn't look like a complete imbecile).

Mike's presence would have added extra history and intrigue. I could also see an eventual Alex/Mike/Roger triangle, as well.

Edited June 20, 2022 by zanereed