2 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Nope, I do not remember the sisters being notified about Bill at all. I did not see every second of every episode, so I could have missed a momentary reference about Meta and Trudy at the time, but I doubt the writers included one. They didn't refer to Trudy when Papa Bauer died, either (again, unless I missed a nanosecond comment).

I actually recall Bert maybe mentioning Meta when Bill died in 1983. Or Bert might have been mentioned Simone? The mind plays tricks on me nowadays...!

2 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Sadly, after years of being totally ignored and her absence during all of Phillip's trials and tribulations unaddressed, the show did acknowledge on screen that Elizabeth had died some time before. Lyman should indeed have played someone more pivotal to the action, however. TPTB failed the show in so many ways, alas.

I saw that post, but given that Philip had also died and returned, I don't know if it would have mattered if they could find some strong story (or even just a few scenes). You're right that Lyman could have played someone else.

2 hours ago, Mitch64 said:

Dorothy Lyman was on GL for the last few months? Was it like Linda Dana who played Harley's cell mate that who did it favor of Wheeler and to keep her union insurance ?

Speaking of..I wish they had brought Dano back as Elizabeth Spaulding at that time. In my scenario it would have been an alter of Beth shot Phillip (to protect Harley who she thought was being attacked by Phillip, it was the same alter that killed Professor Rayburn that Beth created after the Bradly rape) Alan would think that Harley did indeed kill him, so instead of framing her in his mind he was seeing justice was done.) Elizabeth somehow had the docs declare Phillip dead and sent him to be cremated(or so everyone thought) and then brought him to her estate for him to get well and to protect from Alan (who SHE think is the shooter.) Anyway I think Dana could play a woman who waws previously a victim and who is a bit...still nutty herself.

She was in an episode or two. Alan went somewhere while struggling with Philip's impending death, I think, and Dorothy worked there.

I forgot Linda was on GL.

She would have been a good Elizabeth too.

Linda Dano as Elizabeth Spaulding? The same Elizabeth Spaulding that was almost in a zombie like trance during her time on the show? Yeah, no.

Unpopular opinion, but Dano was kind of over-rated. Her only good character was Felicia and the character had to be changed because she couldn't play Felicia in the way she was intended to be.

@DeeVee I'm kind of glad that Marland didn't have the opportunity to write Roger long term.. he probably would have done the whole therapy BS like he did with Josh on ATWT.. and have Holly & Rita having to face their rapist on a daily basis.

I don't recall how he wrote Rita vs how the Dobson's wrote her... but I think the Dobson's did a good job with writing someone that was insecure at her core and made mistakes out of that insecurity and having to live with the consequences with her actions. It's why Evie was a good counterpart for her to interact with.. someone that loved her and accepted her. Marland didn't seem to write Rita in that same way. .but I could be mistaken.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Soaplovers

13 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

Linda Dano as Elizabeth Spaulding? The same Elizabeth Spaulding that was almost in a zombie like trance during her time on the show? Yeah, no.

Unpopular opinion, but Dano was kind of over-rated. Her only good character was Felicia and the character had to be changed because she couldn't play Felicia in the way she was intended to be.

I'm neither here nor there on Dano...but I am thinking like they should have...if Dano likes Wheeler and is willing to work for the GL cash for fun..why not have her do somehting of importance..."Linda Dano joins Gl as a mysterious woman who may know..."Who shot Phillip" or some such thing.

It has been so long that viewers wouldn't remember Elizabeth that well and she has been away for years..."I know what it is like, what that man does to you..breaks you..hallows you out until you have to escape to another world (haha) to escape him. I did that, and it took me a long time to find my strength, and my son, you will too. Until you can fight, I will for you." or some such soap nonsense. There is always a hint that Elizabeth is not quite right still, but she has a backbone.

27 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

I'm kind of glad that Marland didn't have the opportunity to write Roger long term.. he probably would have done the whole therapy BS like he did with Josh on ATWT.. and have Holly & Rita having to face their rapist on a daily basis.

Oh, yeah, I think you're probably right. Yikes, I guess we're lucky Zaslow left when he did.

30 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

I don't recall how he wrote Rita vs how the Dobson's wrote her... but I think the Dobson's did a good job with writing someone that was insecure at her core and made mistakes out of that insecurity and having to live with the consequences with her actions. It's why Evie was a good counterpart for her to interact with.. someone that loved her and accepted her. Marland didn't seem to write Rita in that same way. .but I could be mistaken.

No, he did not write her in that way. While she was always portrayed as someone who was upwardly mobile, Marland made that more crass than the Dobsons did. Rita really loved Ed, but it didn't hurt he was successful doctor who could buy her that nice house. She was pretty aggressive about persuing him after he and Holly broke up, but she genuinely cared for him and I think was genuinely jealous of his residual feelings for Holly. She really was a dedicated nurse, not someone who wanted to live a life of leisure. She was furious when he made her quit her job and take care of Christina (not sure I can blame her very much) almost like a penance because she didn't come forward soon enough about what Roger did to her.

Like Jackie, she had a lot of layers to her. Yes, she was insecure, because of her humble background and her aspirations.

Under Marland, he had her become more like Nola--wanting to put on airs, live large, I guess you could say? I'm not sure if it's still available online, but there is episode where she's telling Sara she was sick of pretending she didn't want the things she wanted out of life. She felt like Ed held her back, that he was content with a blah middle-class existence. There were lots of implications that she wanted the kind of life the Spauldings lived. Whereas the Dobsons portrayed Alan and Rita's attraction as mainly sexual, like two people who just vibed, not necessarily that they would fall in love or that Rita was after his money and social position.

If she had stayed on the show, I'm fairly certain Marland was going to have her make a play to become the next Mrs. Spaulding. Which would make her kind of horrible, since Hope was her pregnant niece.

We'll never know now. I wish there was more from that time period available, the affair and the fall-out from it.