Guiding Light discussion thread

[j swift]

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Spoiler Alert: The sudden death was Maureen Bauer

And while it is sacrilege to defend this plot point, I thought it was interesting to think of it in the context of counter programming.  We've all heard the story about audience research and other characters that may have been axed.  However, I found it intriguing that the death occurred outside of sweeps (1/11/93) and on the same week as the finale of Santa Barbara.  Which led me to suspect that GL was trying to both protect against viewer drift to those curious about watching the end of a soap, and lure SB fans over to CBS by creating an event - just a theory, feel free to disagree, because I already know that someone is going to react that it should have been another character.

Thanks for Facebook group Daytime Soaps No Longer on the Air for the photo

[Mitch64]

You don't remember the famous line..."Oh Reva..just SHUT UP!" Lol..I immediately liked the annoying Dinah for telling newly self-righteous loud mouth Reva to F off!

Oh that damn summer camp with the lake monster!  I remember them stranding Roxie and Billy on an island (uh, how big IS this lake) to try to chem test them for a storyline which would have been weird but really kind of interesting..taking Roxie to her trashy roots "Come on Big Daddy!!!" and make Van roll her eyes even more!

[DRW50]

 

I remember seeing one of those episodes on Youtube a few years ago. Just weird, but given Billy's Reva obsession, it would have made sense.

[Soaplovers]

It was interesting to me that Reva did well on the show sans Josh...while the writers kind of struggled with Josh (other than the rebound Harley relationship in late 1990, and hitting pay dirt with Annie in late 1994).

 

I wonder why it was easier to write for Reva as a character apart from Josh...but not Josh?

[j swift]

It is definitely an odd artifact of supercouples that often times one is better able to carry on than the other.  Much like DAYS Bo & Hope, he had a successful coupling with Carly, but she struggled on her own.  Of the many variables I think we'd have to consider if one of them was really the "main" character and the other part of the supercouple was therefore replaceable.  As well as which was one was capable of non-romantic plots to cover the transition.  Which one had more character traits to be explored in other relationships.  And, most importantly, whether the soap had a writing staff that was capable of creating a new character to pair them with that could become a fan favorite.

[kalbir]

The counter programming theory is interesting. The short-term impact of that storyline resulted in long-term damage that GL never really recovered from. The aftermath of Maureen's death to Nancy Curlee departing the writing team was a chore to get through. At least that era saw Michael Zaslow (RIP) earn his long-awaited for Lead Actor Emmy.

[BetterForgotten]

How many months did SB have to wrap up? Wasn’t it rather abrupt? Regardless, JFP used the money she got from firing Ellen Parker on Justin Deas, so a SB connection nonetheless. 

[wonderwoman1951]

 

exactly! i’ve always believed that money for deas was the reason behind killing off maureen. there was plenty of story for her after she found out about ed and lillian’s affair.

[DRW50]

JFP/P&G also repeated this parlor game in 1996 at AW, where, IIRC, Alice Barrett, Anna Stuart and Judi Evans were all in the firing line about who would go to pay for RKK's salary.

[DRW50]

The biggest problem with the writing for Josh was that most of the time he was written as a sanctimonious [!@#$%^&*] and not much else. There were times they tried different roles for him, like when he decided to become a minister, but mostly he was only there to judge. 

That March 1988 episode was a reminder of how much Pam Long understood the Reva/Josh relationship (given that she created it) in a way later writers didn't. Later writers had Reva obsessing and striving and Josh being shut down and cold, while it should have been both of them in mutual toxicity. The scene at the end of that episode where Josh tells his pregnant wife that if Reva dies, he will never get over it, is truly a disturbing moment, and to the show's credit, it's treated as such. There is an honesty you got less and less of in GL's last two decades.

[Liberty City]

Shame Trish didn't stay in Springfield.

According to Michele Val Jean, they found out six-months prior to the series finale that the series had been canceled.

[Forever8]

Michele Val Jean? Do you mean Jill Lorie Hurst? 

[j swift]

I'm just saying Maureen's death wouldn't have been the first time that GL hypothetically counter programmed against SB.

Reva's "Slut of Springfield" speech was broadcast on 7/30/1984, the same day as the premiere of Santa Barbara (while GH was on a shortened schedule due to the '84 Summer Olympics).

These may be coincidences, but I just wanted to highlight the correlation of events.  And, in retrospect, it is always interesting to me when a soap chooses to schedule a big event outside of sweeps, because my mind instantly goes to thinking about what else was happening on that day.

Edited January 18, 2023 by j swift

[Liberty City]

No. I meant Val Jean, in terms of Santa Barbara's cancellation.

[DramatistDreamer]

Ellen Parker did a magnificent job with the material in that storyline and of course, earned her Daytime Emmy but I for one, would have liked to see more of how the hurt, bitter, and angry Maureen Bauer might have manifested and perhaps subverted the characteristics of the matriarch that had always been essential to GL, even if it were only temporary. Like you, I felt there was much more story to tell for this character and leading off from the Maureen that we saw in her final days would have liberated her to dive into an interesting direction, and if they found the character going too far, they could have always brought her back to her center-Maureen had always been a very centered character.