31 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Hold on...after she and Josh broke up after Marah was born, circa 1986-87, she 1) "worked" as a photographer and 2) became Alan's "assistant."

I don't think I need to explain the quotes, LOL.

Did they EVER mention her photography again?

They kind of did the same thing with Harley, where she was a supposedly an ambitious fledgling fashion designer. That got dropped and then she became a cop--a totally believable employment trajectory. 😂 But at least Harley had identifiable employment.

He ended up being RJ Winslow. I guess Richard adopted him.

Liz has talked about how hard a time she had being accepted by the fans after Stringfield left.

I thought she was fine, but fans loved Stringfield. But I don't know how anyone could have believed, even at the time, that she was going to stay on a soap opera for more than a couple of years.

Harley always had a job--waitress, resale shop, nanny, cop (did she want to be a fashion designer, or just be in business with Mindy?) and probably a few I'm forgetting. Even if, like most characters, she spent more time away from the job than at the job.

Reva only "wanted" a job between men. And no, I don't think they ever brought up her photography again.

I've seen a number of actresses I thought would be big, but then weren't. And then opposite is true too--I certainly never saw Melina Kanakardes being so successful. Or Julianne Moore, or Marisa Tomei.

I’m up to January 20, 1999.

*I’ve noticed that both Griffin and Dahlia are no longer in the contract cast credits and we haven’t seen either in a long time, so I guess they just randomly left the show with no goodbye scenes or mentions, how awful. I’m especially annoyed that Michelle and Dahlia had no goodbye, considering they were close friends. It reminds me of Lucy/Bridget all over again.

Beth and Vanessa continue to argue at work and Alex has to mediate. Vanessa reaches back out to Dinah’s plastic surgeon and they have a dinner date to consult about the work he can do to make her look younger. The doctor tells her she’s too beautiful to need work done, which comforts her again and she leaves. Meanwhile, an enraged Beth goes to Matt and tells him how awful Vanessa is, and then pulls him into a quick kiss. Matt says that can’t happen again, but Beth says it probably will and walks out, but trips on her way out and Matt brings her back to help her. He starts to massage her hurt ankle and they almost kiss again, this time Matt giving into it, but a crying Maureen stops them before they can kiss. This is the first time Matt has acted inappropriately in my opinion. Beth finally leaves and Vanessa comes home. Matt tells her about Beth coming over and how he thinks he’s smoothed things over. Vanessa says she doesn’t want to talk about Beth and she misses Matt, while he says he loves her.

Ben tells Alan and Alex that he plans to get Alan off because Alex was the one who opened the safe, which violated his personal property/rights and the cops didn’t have a search warrant. Alan then goes back on his deal with Ben, pays him for his services, fires him and says he no longer needs his help in finding Annie since she’s dead. This irritates Ben and he threatens Alan that he’ll be sorry. Ben later makes a call to have someone watch Alan and let him know if he’s ever with a woman alone.

Reva and Josh are back in town and tell Frank everything they saw at the spa and how Teri is Annie. He still doesn’t buy it, so they suggest getting Teri’s fingerprints and compare to Annie’s that are on file (finally!). They head to Teri’s place while Frank stays back and calls the spa. Reva/Josh find a passed out Teri at her apartment with a faint pulse, so they call 911. Frank comes too and after they wheel Teri’s body away, Frank tells them that the spa said there is no blond woman in a coma there and they don’t know what he’s talking about. We then see Annie and Alan together in the Spaulding attic, with Annie thanking Alan for helping her, and they toast with champagne. Alan asks if she’s able to drink again and Annie says she no longer has that problem, which to me is annoying and lazy of the writers, because alcoholism isn’t that easy to turn on and off. So I guess Alan got the comatose Teri from the spa and put it in her apartment that quickly to fool Reva/Josh? Anyway, Annie starts to get high with power and wants to rule the world, but first host a big party, which starts to concern Alan. He reminds her she won’t be able to go out in public and be this figure she wants to be, at least for now anyway. So Annie is forced to stay in the attic room for now.

Frank still doesn’t believe Reva/Josh and assume they are up to something, so he calls Ross because they’ve started to rack up charges by assaulting a cop, etc. George DeMarco then shows up claiming that Reva put his sister in a coma and everything is her fault. While the guys are all arguing, Reva leaves and shows up at Alan’s and demands he tell her where he’s hiding Annie. Frank shows up and Alan gaslights Reva and says she trespassed on his property, even though he cryptically told Reva he knows where Annie is earlier. Frank takes Reva to the police station and Alan goes to the attic to celebrate the small win with Annie. Alex then walks in and finds the two of them and has a hilarious line about finding rats in the attic LOL. Alex goes in on Annie and I love to see it. I’m so glad Marj Dusay got a chance to be part of the Annie storyline again before she leaves for AMC. Alan leaves so Alex and Annie can have a 1:1 and boy is it juicy and icy and amazing. Dusay in this moment reminds me of her Vanessa character on AMC. Anyway, Alex leaves, seemingly agreeing to keep their secret for Alan’s sake.

As Reva is about to be arrested, Josh decides to say he made it all up just to save Reva (blah). But Ross comes in and says his medical examiner just said there is no way Josh or Reva could have recently done this, because Teri’s body has been in a coma for months. Ross states the only one person who will know who put Teri in a coma is Teri herself, and then we see the real Teri wake up from her coma in the hospital bed! Reva, Frank and George talk to her and she confirms she’s never been in SF and then identifies the photo of Annie (Watros) as Tonia. Frank is now convinced that Teri is Annie, he apologizes to Reva and kicks himself for allowing Annie to be his partner all this time. George agrees to keep Teri in SF as long as they protect her.

Jesse tells Rick/Abby/Meta about Michelle and they can’t believe everything that has unfolded. Rick is about to call Frank, but the creepy Dietz shows up and says Carmen is hosting their family at the country club to celebrate the blessed wedding. First of all, where is Ed Bauer in all of this? He didn’t have a send-off at all and you’d think he’d be involved here. Dietz doesn’t allow Jesse to go, since it’s family only. Abby and Meta insist on going even though Rick think it’s too dangerous. At the country club, Carmen still threatens Michelle, saying she doesn’t believe her and when she’s done with her, she’ll wish she’d have died earlier when she had the chance. The Bauers arrive and show concern for Michelle, but she plays it up and Carmen welcomes them gracefully (all an act). Rick pulls Michelle aside and pressures her to tell the truth, but she sticks to her guns and kicks him out. Rick said he doesn’t believe her and he tells the whole family he will find a way to get her out. Meta doesn’t want to leave her, but they all eventually go. Jesse then shows up and finds Michelle alone and asks her if she still loves him. She says yes and he kisses her, just as Carmen walks in and sees it. She leaves without them knowing she caught them, and Michelle pulls back and says Jesse has to leave immediately. Danny enters and tells him to go away, but they get into a fistfight until Dietz throws Jesse to the wall and threatens his life, so Jesse leaves. Dietz later forces Jesse to talk to Carmen alone, where she offers a chance for them to work together to split Danny/Michelle, but he refuses which pisses her off. Jesse goes to Drew/Selena and Drew is now trying to convince him that Michelle doesn’t want him, she wants Danny, and he refuses to believe it. Drew is clearly now in love with Jesse and will do anything to protect him and be with him.

Michelle and Danny are forced to spend the night together in their ‘honeymoon suite’ room, with Danny saying they have to keep playing like this until his mother finally believes they’re together. Michelle is not happy about it and realizes Danny sleeps in the nude haha.

Susan takes a phone call and it’s the hospital calling about Harley’s pregnancy. Susan flips out on Harley and says that’s why she’s trying to rush her out of town, because she’s having a better baby than she was. Harley feels awful and tries to convince Phillip to let her stay, and he finally gives in and they try to then convince Jim. Susan shows up and starts acting manipulative again and says they’re leaving. Harley cries and says she doesn’t want her to go, but Susan says her name is Susan and she threw Daisy away. Later, Susan calls Harley and says she misses her and Harley tells her she’ll talk to her any time but to use her special phone and not the main line. She then lies to Phillip about who called, uh oh.

India, Beth and Vicky have lunch and gossip, mostly about India and Ross’s newfound romance. Holly overhears while babysitting Jason and Kevin and she gives India a piece of her mind about how Blake/Ross should be together.

Vanessa and Matt catch Dinah about to do something stupid again to win over Hart. Vanessa thinks it’s time that Dinah gets psychiatric help, which Dinah gets upset about and she calls Ross to help her. Matt gets Hart there while Ross arrives and both he and Hart finally find out about the crap Dinah has done lately (starting the fire, taking Vanessa’s pills, etc). Hart still doesn’t know that Dinah’s baby that she miscarried wasn’t really his though. Ross tries to get her to understand that Hart is no longer in love with her and she needs to move on. Hart then tells her goodbye and Ross consoles her.

Blake gets upset with Holly for not respecting her decision to be with Ben and kicks her out of her house, which leads Holly to drink yet again.

@Spoon - things are getting good! I have a feeling the next couple weeks into February sweeps will be wild.

@alwaysAMC Glad you got up to the Alex v Annie scene. That must have been one of Marj's last scenes in this run, if not the last. It's a hell of a scene - one of her best as Alex, if not the best. I'm sure if she had stayed, they would have lost their way with the character (again), but I credit B&E for understanding Alex more than most others who wrote for her in Marj's runs.

You are right that not having Ed in the story with Michelle and the mob was a very dumb mistake.

12 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

@alwaysAMC Glad you got up to the Alex v Annie scene. That must have been one of Marj's last scenes in this run, if not the last. It's a hell of a scene - one of her best as Alex, if not the best. I'm sure if she had stayed, they would have lost their way with the character (again), but I credit B&E for understanding Alex more than most others who wrote for her in Marj's runs.

You are right that not having Ed in the story with Michelle and the mob was a very dumb mistake.

It was SO good. Like I said, it almost felt like she was Vanessa in a way, which would make sense given she's already practiced/rehearsed for that character at that time, it's fresh in her mind. Although I don't know/haven't seen a ton of the Alex character when Beverlee was in the role. Anyway, it was great and I loved it. I figured it might be the last of her given how close we are to Feb 1999 when she starts at AMC. I really hope they give some kind of line that says she went back overseas or something, and not just another Ed where he's forgotten..

Speaking of, you'd think they could at least do a throwaway line that he went back to Africa for another year or something, anything, to make it make sense.

6 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

This is the first time **** has acted inappropriately in my opinion. Beth finally leaves and Vanessa comes home.

And the angels SING. LOL. Join the dark side....

6 hours ago, DRW50 said:

@alwaysAMC Glad you got up to the Alex v Annie scene. That must have been one of Marj's last scenes in this run, if not the last. It's a hell of a scene - one of her best as Alex, if not the best. I'm sure if she had stayed, they would have lost their way with the character (again), but I credit B&E for understanding Alex more than most others who wrote for her in Marj's runs.

You are right that not having Ed in the story with Michelle and the mob was a very dumb mistake.

Maybe its the script writer who seemed to understand Alex...there are some great lines here that are true to her history "I have dealt with far WORSE then YOU!" and "Everytime my brother and I competed I WON!" E &B don't seem to know what to do with Alex, as she just disappears after this (Marj jumped to AMC as she had no filming dates scheduled.) It is too bad as this as this is an Alex which fits Marj's energy(Bev's Alex would cooly insult and threaten Annie) and still fits Alex's history..I will always love "Ya got quite a bark on ya, don't ya honey?"

Yes Ed not being there is just dumb...I really don't think the role would be that hard to cast...but the whole thing is dumb...the Santos are members of the Lakeland Country Club and have been all the time but no one know them?