Jump to content

Guiding Light Discussion Thread


Paul Raven

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Ah interesting.  So who is Hart's mother and is she around?

So this must be the Bridget I'm seeing pal around with Lucy and David right now.  So if she and Matt are siblings, and she's Peter's mother, does that mean Vanessa is technically his adopted mother and step-aunt?  Or said another way, he's her son and step-nephew.  How soapy haha.  I guess I'm assuming Vanessa/Matt get married in that scenario - it doesn't appear they are right now, just dating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 17.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

Laura is his mother, and I think she was an agent with Roger? Anyway, she is dead (I can't believe they never "un deaded" her.)  Vanessa is Peter's adopted mother and will be his step aunt in due time, so Matt is his uncle and his stepdad.  So Dinah ends up being Peter's sister with hopes to be his step mom also. Bridget and Dinah are actually cousins by marriage as Bridget's aunt is married to Dinah's uncle (though that connection is never brought up during the McLaiby reign of terror) The whole Bauer/Reardon/Chamberline/Lewis families are interconnected ( I would throw in Marler too as Ed raised Blake though that is hardly ever mentioned, plus Ross is Dinah's mom) so they make a really good, , messy, weird, multi-generational core family, but later writers threw it all away to focus on Reva and Josh and the Spaulding and the Coopers (UGGGHHHH!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Wait, Blake is Holly and Roger's daughter??  Wow, they all seem the same age to me haha.  I just did some research and Holly and Ross were together and Blake went after her mom's man LOL.  They really like the daughter's going after mother's men on this show haha.  

I know this is like a little blip in time at GL, but now that I'm watching and in the weeds, just couldn't help but comment on what I'm seeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I will say, while there is a fuzzy quality to her other playlists/years,  it's not quite as bad as that.

I'm not quite sure exactly what the reason stated was for Josh moving in with Vanessa. But Josh hadn't been back in town long before Billy went to jail. And after Billy went to jail, Vanessa and Bridget fought for custody of Peter (who Billy and Vanessa had adopted). Roger, naturally didn't want his grandson raised as a Lewis, and so he backed Bridget in the case. He also threatened Vanessa, and no doubt Josh stepped in to protect Vanessa. There's also the fact that he had two young children, so for a while they sort of group raised all their various children . Vanessa's father Henry is also living there with them.

Peter is Roger's first grandchild. At this point in time, GL's characters don't really have grandchildren. The only ones that do are Reva and Billy. Their son Dylan fathered a child by Harley, but that child isn't really on canvas at this time. Vanessa won't even get a grandchild on screen before the show ends. 

I understand re: time. I've honestly only been rewatching GL for a little over a year. I'm sure there'll be enough exposition to fill in the blanks, but it's not exactly the same as watching Roger reclaim being Public Enemy Number One. LOL.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

And FYI, the reason Peter was adopted in the first place is that Nadine (who was married to Billy between Billy and Vanessa's marriages) intended to pass off Bridget's baby as her and Billy's child. (Naturally, this was done to save her marriage, because she knew Billy really loved Vanessa...but that's nearly three years of plot in a nutshell. LOL)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Don't forget that Bridget was locked in the Lewis attic while pregnant (how no one in the house could hear a pregnant girl walking around above them and I would think using the toilet.) while Nadine ran around with a pillow (and how Billy never saw his wife naked or partially undressed during that time...all I can say is, Nadine sure as hell must have suck a golf ball through a garden hose...) This had to come from Reilly's head, it was stupid and plot orientated and required everyone to be stupid.  Bridget was locked in the attic when her Aunt Maureen died who Bridget really loved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Billy and Nadine weren't living together through most of Nadine's "pregnancy". Billy had walked out on her after he found out she had given Vanessa's name to the Inquisitor when Vanessa pressed attempted rape charges against Jack Kiley. When she told Billy she was pregnant, she also told him she didn't want him moving back in right away, until she was sure he was committed to their marriage, not just coming back because of the baby. Billy doesn't move back in until after Maureen's death in January, which is just a few weeks before Peter was born.

Nadine was dumb, but she knew how to play on Billy's guilt over his failures as a father. Yes, the plot dumbs Billy down dangerously, but Vanessa smelled a rat right away. She backs off though because she can't prove anything, and she's reluctant to blow up Billy's life without it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

When you describe it, of course, it sounds both gothic & as you said, stupid, but watching it live in real time, especially if you love Bridget as I did, it felt very different & not stupid at all. Also I never thought about it being Reilly & that is good! Melissa Hayden to me was a goddess. However, it offended me that she was in love with that lout, Hart. Or maybe a callow youth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thank you PJ and Mitch for the backstory details - very helpful.  PJ - when did you start your rewatch and where are you now?  

I will say, the exposition in the dialogue has actually been helpful.  I know we always roll our eyes and have a hard time as live daily viewers when the writers lay that on thick, but now going back to watch years ago, it's helpful.

I love to hear it

Please register in order to view this content

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It was a little over a year ago. While I grew up on Guiding Light (ATWT and the CBS soaps), I really considered myself more of an ATWT fan. By the end of GL I was barely watching, and I really kind of distanced myself after it was cancelled. 

Anyway--FF to '21-'22, and Michael Tylo, Lisa Brown and Jerry verDorn died within months of each other. They were three key characters in Springfield when I really got hooked on the show as a teen. Arguably, one of the most iconic scenes in GL's history is the catfight between Nola (Brown) and Vanessa (Maeve Kinkead) at Nola's engagement ball. Someone was posting clips on Twitter, and I ended up falling down the youtube rabbit hole. Watching the ball lead to watching Quint and Nola's wedding, which led to Billy and Vanessa's romance. I had forgotten how catty Vanessa had been, and found myself laughing as she rained cynicism over love and the "happy couple" at every opportunity. The more I saw, the more I looked for clips, the more I watched things I had never seen, or hadn't seen in years.

I flit around. My favorite eras are '80-'82 (the Marland years, with Nola and early Ross/Vanessa who are old lovers manipulating each other in a twisted way), '83-'85 (Pam Long's first run, with Vanessa and Billy falling in love, the Four Musketeers (Phillip/Beth/Rick/Mindy) and OGAlexandra (the incomparable Bev McKinsey). Then '89-'93, when favorites Roger, Holly, Billy and Vanessa all return to town within months of each other and Long and Curlee/Demorest/Reilly write character driven, compelling drama that doesn't treat viewers like total idiots.

I can also appreciate what I've seen of the Dobson era ('75-'80). There are plenty of characters I remember, but there's not a lot of that available to watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm now on March 3, 1995 (15 episodes in), and I'm still really enjoying it.  Soaps in the 90s just really had good pacing, interesting storylines, great actors, good sets... really makes it easy to get hooked.

During the media awards ceremony, Holly and Roger just broke up because Fletcher admitted he was the man that Holly slept with.  From what you all have said, and what I've read online, I know Roger has done lots of terrible things, but in this moment and only seeing him for 3 weeks of story, I feel bad for the guy haha.  His jealousy and obsession with knowing the truth did in him.  I'm getting Adam Chandler (AMC) vibes from Roger - would that be accurate or am I off?  Fletcher annoys me - he is always loud - and he's coming across as the bad guy to me (in how he spilled the beans, gloated and is just generally moody).  Is Fletcher related to anyone on the scene right now?  He seems to be an island outside of having co-worker friends (Tanjie/Nick) and being paired with Holly.

They just had a random man named Carrol pop up at the diner and flirt with Nadine.  Who is this guy and what is his connection to Springfield?  I'm on the fence with him so far, but he got Buzz angered and this seems to drive Buzz/Nadine to finalize their divorce.

Starting to get to know Sid and Gilly now - she won her media award and is being pressured to move to LA, which is straining their relationship.  I recognize Gilly from her AMC days!  Watching Vincent, Marcy, Marj and Amelia together on another soap is so fun!

The Greece storyline seems to have wrapped - Christo let Eleni and Frank go after Frank came in to save the day, but of course they left it open with Christo saying one day he'll have Eleni again...  Frank is another one that's really handsome!  

I'm really into the Josh/Annie pairing - its slow right now, but they have great chemistry.

It is pretty weird listening to Bridget/Mark talk about his relationship with Vanessa when she's sharing custody of her son with Vanessa, but I know I didn't get to see that backstory of that adoption.

They keep referencing the 5th Street fire, and I'm getting an itch to go back a couple months to watch that unfold, but I'll refrain haha.   

OMG - Allison Janney is on GL playing the house maid!  How funny, I never knew that.  Was she a GL fan, or had she not become a big celebrity by then?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Recent Posts

    • the famous babyswitch. the best babyswitch imo
    • Yes, it has. It was seen in the episodes when Dani broke into the house while Hayley and Bill were on their honeymoon. Dani and a Fairmont Crest security guard were also shown outside the house's entrance. Bill and Hayley were seen in the foyer when they returned. I imagine the set will resurface when there's a need for it.
    • There is some kind of arrangement going on between Justin and Evie, who seems to be caring for Sam. I'm not sure, but she may even be living there with Justin and Phillip. Phillip inviting Evie at least makes a little more sense (if the guest list was limited to women Vanessa liked, it would've only consisted of Trish and Helena. lol)  Maybe it was more common to hang on to performers, back in the day? Instead of immediately kicking them to the curb? Evie hadn't had much to do after Chet was revealed to be her stalker. With Rita, Jackie and Ben gone, there weren't many on the canvas she'd really worked with, other than Ross. They could've pivoted her back to Ross, instead of letting him languish love-less for nearly a year other than goo-goo eyeing Amanda. Nowadays, there might've been a moment written Jordan and Janet, an eye-wink to the audience about them having previously worked together.
    • I 100% agree that Bill and Haley's set would work better as a bedroom. I also think it might have made more sense to give them a penthouse instead of a mansion. Realistically they aren't going to have the room for multiple mansions, even with the larger studios. A more open concept penthouse would've been fine. I also wish more people lived together. The age confusion kinda messes that up but I would at least have Chelsea living with Dani. If Martin were Anita and Vernon's child (as he should be), I'd have these families living together as well. By doing that, the space used for Martin and Smitty's house could be used to build a dining room for the Dupree home and I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to throw a couple bedrooms in as needed.
    • CBS primetime was such a mess in the 1990s. 1990/91 fourth consecutive third place finish. 1991/92 to 1993/94 some signs of life but it didn't last.  1994/95 to 1999/2000 another primetime mess era. 1995 the sale to Westinghouse and Les Moonves arrived. The only bright spots were Touched by an Angel becoming a Top 10 show and Everybody Loves Raymond starting to show growth. CBS primetime would have a comeback in 2000 with the premieres of Survivor and CSI and Everybody Loves Raymond becoming a Top 10 show, and the rest is history.
    •  Thanks! For some reason I had misremembered ER and Chicago Hope going directly head to head but that may have been because of the hype about both shows.    Poor Connie Chung. She seem poised for success and possibly the next Barbara Walters. I don’t recall her co-anchor gig on the CBS Evening News was well received though. She kind of tanked her career moving into more a tabloid journalist role once at ABC and especially once she moved off network TV to CNN and later more infamously on MSNBC. 
    • Please register in order to view this content

       
    • Strangely, it was Phillip who invited Evie to go to the ball with him. She had been taking care of Samantha, so I guess it was a way to thank her for helping Justin after Jackie's death? So she was not invited by Vanessa. Phillip brought her as his plus one. That Evie stayed on the canvas so long is extremely odd, especially since Ben was gone way before her. My theory is Marland was going to bring Rita back, so they wanted Evie to remain in place as her sounding board. When he left and Potter was still EP, that might have still been the plan. Once Kobe came in, that would have been thrown in the dumpster along with a lot of other story plans and characters.
    • Nina and Portia are generally presented as entirely too savvy to not think this ketamine (don't even GET me started on that) nonsense wouldn't immediately blow up in their face. Drew, the ex-navy seal and congressman, wouldn't get a drug test immediately after acting wildly out of character? Portia allowed this to so easily be traced back to her by roping in Brad, a man who can't stand her? Nina didn't think Willow would Stand By Her Man? Girl, PAY ATTENTION! I also find it disturbing how BOTH of them are gaslighting Willow. It feels gross. They should have presented Gio as anything other than a responsible, genial and affable guy if they wanted us to buy any of Dante's ranting about him. You've known this kid since he was a baby and suddenly you're yelling at him like he's the devil incarnate? It was so forced. Every one of them, including Dante, know that they all would have done the same thing in Gio's shoes. Teen gets drunk, friends cover for them. Gio's only 5 years older than him, barely allowed to legally drink himself. How was he to know the kid had alcohol poisoning? Alexa Havins crying every day over keeping a baby secret. Ahh memories. Molly and Kristina are just the worst to their mom and Alexis allows it. Kristina does need to be committed, she's a danger to herself and others. I wish Alexis would just tell her that she knows. I can't wait until Molly finds out about her almost getting Ric and Liz killed. I need her to body slam Kristina. Sasha thinks she knows EVERYTHING. She's always giving advice and painted as right no matter what. And so holier than thou while carrying a married man's baby.
    • Correction, Chicago Hope 1994/95 was initially Thursday 9 pm, a CBS dead zone and head-to-head w/ Seinfeld. 1994/95 CBS Thursday 10 pm initially was Eye to Eye with Connie Chung. Later in the season CBS did a scheduling shift with Chicago Hope moving to Monday 10 pm, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung moving to Thursday 9 pm, and 48 Hours moving from Wednesday 10 pm to Thursday 10 pm.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy