@zanereed Thanks for giving the info on the stories Mike was meant to have. I never knew any of this. I do think he would have added more heft to the Barbados arc and bridged the gap as the stuff with the on the way out Reardon brothers/Annabelle and the never again seen Victoria/Sharina/Brandon ultimately went nowhere.

@DRW50 - you are very welcome. Again, who knows how accurate any of this, especially 41-odd years later. The things I believe the most out of all of it are that the Mike/Lillian/Alexandra love triangle was supposed to play out for most of 1984, and lead to ramifications with the Beth/Lujack romance, along with Kobe definitely firing Don Stewart at some point in August.

Thanks @SoapDope78 for posting that. A nice story.

Barbara must have been disappointed when she was axed as Leslie. Luckily Joyce on ATWT was waiting in the wings.

But it seems viewers responded well to her and the Mike/Leslie relationship and Lynne Adams didn't resomate with a lot of the audience second time around.

A similar think happened when John Colenback returned as Dan on ATWT. A lot of viewers preferred John Reilly's version of Dan.

On paper, I can see why GL might think Alex/Mike/Lillian would work. There's the Mike/Alan history, the Mike/Phillip history and all that playing out over Lujack and Beth's romance. But I can't think of a less interesting story---unless it was Jim/Hillary/Fletch. I credit Beverlee with a lot, but I can't see Alex being fascinated with a straight arrow type (even Fletch originally had a bit of operator in him), or putting up with Mike's self-righteous streak.

As for Jim Reardon, I think he was brought on to shake up the Reardon family dynamic, especially after the truth about Tom's "desertion" was revealed. Tony needed someone to measure himself against, and a brother is kind of that natural fit. I just don't think it worked. Jim wasn't a dynamic enough character to spark story, imo. To be honest, I don't watch a lot of the Reardons, so I don't even know if they really interact much after his arrival. Jim is briefly an issue for Ed/Mo, but mostly he romances Hillary. Of course, he's only there a year, whether or not that was Michael Woods' intent or not---the role was hardly unrecastable at that point.

I think the Reardons just fell apart. It would've been hard to recast either Nola or Tony, but to do both would've been nearly impossible. And they're pretty much the heart of the clan. (With apologies to Ellen Dolan, who I love as ATWT's Margo, her Mo is just kind of "there" for most of her run.)

49 minutes ago, P.J. said:

On paper, I can see why GL might think Alex/Mike/Lillian would work. There's the Mike/Alan history, the Mike/Phillip history and all that playing out over Lujack and Beth's romance. But I can't think of a less interesting story---unless it was Jim/Hillary/Fletch. I credit Beverlee with a lot, but I can't see Alex being fascinated with a straight arrow type (even Fletch originally had a bit of operator in him), or putting up with Mike's self-righteous streak.

IIRC, that's exactly what they used to break Alex and Mike up. And, oh, how ironic--he was appalled at what she did to her brother. You know, the guy Mike hated more than poison! So he stayed in character to the very end, I'll give them that.

I will say I think Stewart and McKInsey had an interesting vibe. They seemed to have fun when he was teaching her to fly. From reading some of his interviews, it seems as though what Stewart really wanted was to be more of an action hero than a romantic lead. Marland kind of leaned into that with him--having him and Ed chase Roger, the action scenes in Tenerife when he was after Alan, and there was that scene on a ski tram where he was fighting some guy who was out to kill Alan. Maybe it wasn't that he didn't like his screen partners, he just wanted to do more action stuff. It sounds like Long was going to give him the chance to do that, too, before Kobe fired him.

58 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Jim is briefly an issue for Ed/Mo, but mostly he romances Hillary.

It says a lot about Simon and Dolan as a pairing that their biggest threat in the beginning was her brother.

1 hour ago, P.J. said:

I think the Reardons just fell apart. It would've been hard to recast either Nola or Tony, but to do both would've been nearly impossible.

I think part of the reason for the Reardons fading away was that they simply lost interest in writing for them.

1 hour ago, DeeVee said:

From reading some of his interviews, it seems as though what Stewart really wanted was to be more of an action hero than a romantic lead.

Well he wasn't going to get much of that on a soap.

1 hour ago, DeeVee said:

I think part of the reason for the Reardons fading away was that they simply lost interest in writing for them.

Agree. Marland set them up as the struggling second family on the show with long term plans but Kobe/Long and subsequent writers seemed more interested in the Lewis family then the Shaynes.

26 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

Well he wasn't going to get much of that on a soap.

Agree. Marland set them up as the struggling second family on the show with long term plans but Kobe/Long and subsequent writers seemed more interested in the Lewis family then the Shaynes.

For me one of the problems with the Reardons is I don't think Marland did an especially great job setting them up. I like the idea of the boarding house and the Nola/Bea relationship, and I like Maureen as her own character, but Tony is unbearable and too much time is spent on his tantrums and on Nola's custody woes and Tony berating her.

From the bits I've seen, they are easier to enjoy in the year or two after his exit, before Long/Kobe gut them along with the rest of the canvas.

I must not watch enough of '84, because I never see much of Mike and Alex, and I'm not sure how they're even showing interest in each other when she slept with Ross and has Warren's balls in a jar on her nightstand.

I'm sure Marland would've developed them differently, but other than early Nola's machinations, the Reardons don't seem all that interesting. Tony sole purpose seems to be bedding anything that moves.

I’m up to December 22, 1998.

Josh escapes from the hospital and Reva confides in Abby that she thinks Annie is still alive and using Teri as an agent to destroy them. She then tells Frank her suspicions, but he doesn’t believe it. Meanwhile, Josh goes to Teri’s and threatens her to tell him what’s happening to him and why he can’t stop dreaming and thinking of her. Frank calls Teri’s cell and she’s able to answer and briefly tell him that Josh has held her captive and she needs help (a lie), so Frank heads that way after telling Reva and Abby on his way out. Josh keeps yelling at Teri and she tells him this is all Reva’s fault, and just as Frank and the cops are knocking on the door, Teri rips her shirt to make it seem like Josh roughed her up and Frank, Reva and the cops barge in and see a deranged Josh and a ‘hurt’ Teri. They argue about who is to blame, with Reva really being a [!@#$%^&*] to Teri. Teri finally pulls out her cell and plays voicemails that Josh left her saying he really needs to see and be with her, which stuns Reva and Josh both. Reva then says she’s doctored the voicemails, which is something Annie could easily do. Josh then says that’s his voice and he made those calls, but he has no idea why. Reva still says that’s not her husband and she’s done something to him. Reva refuses to let them take Josh to get a psych evaluation and wants to take him home, but Teri says she’s left with no other choice, she places Josh under arrest because she’s pressing charges on him for assault. LOL at how mad Reva is, I don’t know if I’ve seen such raw vitriol coming out of Kim Zimmer like these last couple episodes. Anyway, Josh is now in the loony bin and Reva is desperate. Reva finally gets a hold of Cassie, tells her what is happening with Teri, and Cassie confesses that Josh really did act that way with her too. Cassie finally realizes that Reva is right and something strange is happening that Josh can’t help, and she agrees to come back to SF to help Reva find Annie once and for all. I guess Laura Wright’s maternity leave is now over.

India is hawking her jewelry at the Towers for money and runs into Ben. They flirt for a bit but she realizes he’s Ross’s brother and changes her tune. She tells him that Blake is ‘common’ and then leaves. I wonder what they plan for these two - a possible chemistry test? Anyway, Ross ends up buying the jewelry, not knowing anything about it, and gives it to India as a gift for taking care of him over Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Ben goes to Blake’s house to talk and they kiss under the mistletoe.

A guilt-ridden Holly goes to Buzz and tells him the truth that she told Jeffrey that Rocky was his son, and not Buzz’s (not directly, Jeffrey overheard her talking to Jenna about it). He’s so confused and asks why and she said she got mad at Jenna for losing the children. He goes ballistic for a bit but calms himself down and walks away, while Ken watches from a distance. Ken tries to convince Holly not to tell the truth because she could be committed to the psych ward like he was. Buzz later apologizes to Holly for his reaction.

Hart and Dinah have been getting closer and they finally have sex. They plan on spending Christmas together, but as she takes Hart’s coat, a picture of Cassie falls out. Dinah doesn’t like it and says they can cancel their plans, but Hart says he was planning to burn the photo and he’s over her. He tries to assure Dinah that she’s the one he wants to grow with in the future, not Cassie (although I don’t really buy it), and he burns the photo in front of her. She’s excited and wants to go buy a Christmas tree for Maureen’s first Christmas and they decide to go out in public for the first time without her bandages. They find a tree and head to Vanessa/Matt’s house. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Matt have been arguing again about a business deal between Spaulding and Lewis. They later talk about Hart/Dinah’s relationship and Vanessa mentions she’s worried about Dinah once Hart finds out that Cassie’s baby really is his, which Hart/Dinah overhear as they walk in. Dinah pretends like they didn’t say it specifically, which Vanessa backs up, but Hart isn’t sure he believes it. Hart point blank asks Matt if the baby is his, and Matt can’t support the ladies and he says yes, the baby is his. Hart is upset that everyone knew and didn’t tell him and he storms out. Dinah tells Vanessa/Matt she’ll never forgive them for this, and Vanessa later gives Matt a hard time for telling the truth (ugh). He plans to leave and spend the night somewhere so they can have some space between them and cool off, but just as he’s leaving, Maureen starts walking for the first time. They get excited, Matt films them and things seem happy. He decides to stay home and says they all need to be together for Christmas and they kiss.

Drew and Selena get into it again at the diner over something silly and Drew tells Selena her daughter was lucky to not have to be raised by her. Selena says she must have been the daughter from hell for her parents, and Drew then fires Selena from her job at Millennium. The next day, the audience sees a baby picture of Drew in her apartment and then we see the same picture in Selena’s bag when she’s at Millennium getting her last paycheck, so I guess this is the audience reveal that Drew is Selena’s daughter! Selena follows Drew to her apartment, arguing with her about getting her paycheck and sees the framed photo of Drew as a baby and Selena asks who it is. Drew, still upset, says it’s her as a baby and Selena realizes that’s her daughter (12/18)! Drew kicks her out and Selena breaks down outside over the truth. She goes to Buzz and tells him about Drew and he supports her. Meanwhile, Jesse supports a crying Drew, who talks about being lonely and missing her father for her birthday/Christmas, and how she never had a mother because her adopted mother divorced her dad while she was really young. We find out Drew and her dad are Jewish and she wishes she could light the menorah with her dad, so Jesse later brings her a menorah and Drew lights the last candle, which was very sweet. They finally gave Drew some good material here and Tammy Blanchard is shining. The next day, Selena tells Buzz about a little birthmark her daughter had on her neck, so Buzz arranges for Drew to come by and he notices a little birthmark and realizes Selena is right. He tells Drew that Selena is actually a nice lady and has respect for her, even saying she’s impressed by how hard she worked to open Millennium, which surprises Drew and makes her happy.

Susan continues to manipulate Harley into getting what she wants, which Phillip sees through. Susan clearly doesn’t want Phillip around, and she confides in Harley that she doesn’t think Phillip likes her (this girl is annoying me). She later asks if she can change her name to Daisy, as a Christmas gift. Harley isn’t sure that would be nice to her dad, since he named her Susan. Phillip agrees, which pisses off Susan who gives him a death stare. Phillip later tells Harley she needs to stop trying so hard to appease this girl. Jim comes back with Christmas gifts and alone, Susan asks him what he thinks of Harley. She tells him that Harley said she really likes him and then she says Harley is so pretty. Ugh, it seems they’re setting up a Harley/Jim pairing that Susan is plotting, which will drive Harley/Phillip apart. This girl is trouble.

Dinah goes to Annie for help with her Hart situation. Annie suggests she get drastic in her approach and find a way to make Cassie hate Hart forever. She talks to Reva and is able to figure out that Cassie is on her way back to SF, so Annie later suggests Dinah get to Cassie first. Dinah calls the train station in Chicago, pretends to be Reva, and requests them to give Cassie a message - send Tammy home on the train, but she’s going to come pick her up herself.

Meanwhile, Hart goes to Blake’s for help, and Ben is there. Ben, being in a festive mood, decides to help Hart find Cassie. He calls his contacts and gets an address immediately, so Hart leaves to find Cassie in Chicago. Blake and Ben then kiss at the Christmas tree and it’s clear they’re together, but taking things slowly. Later, they have a date at Millennium and Ross/India walk in on a date, which irritates Blake because she doesn’t like India from their past. Blake walks up to talk to Ross about Christmas and spending time with the boys, while India makes a phone call. The person India is talking to says she has insufficient funds, which India is arguing against and then notices that Ben overheard and he now realizes she’s without a dime.

Michelle visits Holly and Ken and realizes Holly is delusional for expecting Fletcher to bring Meg home for Christmas. Holly is planning all this time with Meg, so Michele decides to stay a bit to ensure she’s ok. She is offered eggnog, takes a sip and realizes there is alcohol in there. Michelle is disappointed because Holly said she had stopped drinking awhile back. Holly says she’s still going to AA meetings and ushers her quickly out of the house, saying she’ll make sure to bring Meg by for a Christmas visit. Holly starts to hear Meg’s voice yell Mommy over and over, so she takes a bottle and starts chugging. She then sees a present with a card from Fletcher that says they’re thinking of her and they’re sorry they will miss her for Christmas, which makes her break down. Outside the house, Michelle runs into Danny, who again seems to be following her. He gives her a gift which happens to be a picture of her in the park alone, which seems creepy, but he insists he’s trying to explore his creative side.