18 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

Yes, but fortunately, not always. It's a shame that Guiding Light didn't pull a Capitol. The last scene should have been a blindfolded, ex-princess Reva facing a firing squad. That would have been my happy ending.

😂😂

Reva is such a polarizing character.

As for the happy ending discussions, I prefer them. If writers have a reasonable amount of time, they should craft a goodbye that's true to the story and pays some fan service. I'm still confused as to why Josh and Cassie got married and Reva had a menopausal baby with Jeffrey. But it makes sense that Josh/Reva were endgame. They were toxic, but fans can overlook a lot. I don't like that AMC and OLTL ended on cliffhangers.

40 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

The Jessica moment was also treated very seriously - Soap at its best knew how to balance comedy and drama.

I don't think you are wrong about tidy endings - on Neighbours, which concluded (again - like GL the show was canceled and revived multiple times) a woman found out a month before the show ended that her husband was cheating with her daughter's friend, and they were strongly hinting at a reunion in the finale. I didn't mind the happy endings on GL as much because I thought most of them were believable. Vanessa and Billy had never split up because of lack of love - he shot someone and went to prison. Josh and Reva had split up and reunited again and again. So had Beth and Philip. Rick and Mindy were more of a stretch, but more on Mindy's side as the show seemingly never had her progress any as a person in her 15 years away from regular Springfield living. But as an ending I thought it was cute, even if they barely got any airtime. Krista and Michael always had good chemistry. If Kim Simms had been Mindy I would have had more of an issue.

While Rick/Mindy (definitely) and Frank/Blake (sort of) come out of nowhere, at least Wheeler had been half-hinting at Van/Billy over the past year or so. Even though Van rarely got POV moments, there were times when Bill was hurt or something where she'd tell Billy she needed him.

I don't even really think it was about giving Van a happy ending as much as it was giving Billy a happy ending.

I never understood the Reva/Jeff relationship, so I'm going with it was to keep Cole relevant on canvas and his fans happy.

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

This is a "thing" now with various male celebrities - I guess in hand with that looksmaxxing trend of young men smashing their jaws with hammers. I haven't seen Jordi, but I know there's a lot of speculation about several comedians (John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, etc.).

JFP would repeat this plot not once, but twice, on AW and OLTL, with young female cops breaking all the rules and also banging their superiors. She was never one to avoid putting her fantasies onscreen. She did not do this at GH - maybe because for most of her run she was working with dominant headwriters who saw cops as evil.

Ugh I did not love the pretty quick turnaround from grating on another to boss/student to lovers trajectory for Harley/Mallet. I’m sure I’m clouded by my later years Harley feelings but I actually found Harley to be fairly annoyingly combative through a lot of my viewing and the bickering with all her love interests was exhausting when watched in quick succession like this.

Total non sequitor but do Reva and Roger ever really cross paths? Just curious mainly because they both seem to have a being disrespected early chip on their shoulders they never really get past, plus just being arguably the most well known characters/actors from GL.

7 minutes ago, GL95 said:

Ugh I did not love the pretty quick turnaround from grating on another to boss/student to lovers trajectory for Harley/Mallet. I’m sure I’m clouded by my later years Harley feelings but I actually found Harley to be fairly annoyingly combative through a lot of my viewing and the bickering with all her love interests was exhausting when watched in quick succession like this.

Total non sequitor but do Reva and Roger ever really cross paths? Just curious mainly because they both seem to have a being disrespected early chip on their shoulders they never really get past, plus just being arguably the most well known characters/actors from GL.

They cross for a year or so. They interact during Reva's post-partum story as Roger takes nude photos of her while she's having an episode and attempts to use the photos for blackmail. They are both on the canvas in 95-97 but I don't remember them interacting seriously.

I also found that period with Harley and Mallet annoying. I never liked that pairing. I thought he drained all the personality out of her and was an ass.

Edited 10 hours ago10 hr by DRW50

19 minutes ago, GL95 said:

Total non sequitor but do Reva and Roger ever really cross paths? Just curious mainly because they both seem to have a being disrespected early chip on their shoulders they never really get past, plus just being arguably the most well known characters/actors from GL.

Other than the postpartum story in '90, which is a couple of episodes, I don't think so. Definitely not before the postpartum story, as Kim was busy in the Dylan story and then her maternity leave.

53 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

They cross for a year or so. They interact during Reva's post-partum story as Roger takes nude photos of her while she's having an episode and attempts to use the photos for blackmail. They are both on the canvas in 95-97 but I don't remember them interacting seriously.

Surprisingly no, and what a good question. As an outsider at the time, I knew Roger and Reva as the faces of GL. So the fact they didn't interact was interesting for me to see. I view them as the Erica and Adam of AMC, but even they, of course, interacted/married/were rivals/etc. But Reva and Roger in the 90s... no. Reva was on an island upon her return in 95, living as an Amish girl with Alan finding her. In 1996, she was with Buzz and working at the diner, trying to save 5th Street while Roger was on a Lonatrat island with Dinah/Hart. Then Roger left in early 1997 when Reva was finally back in Josh's orbit with Annie becoming an unhinged alcoholic. I would have loved to see these two forces go at it. I wonder if TPTB thought hey, if they don't like one of these stories, at least they'll like the other and we'll at least get 50/50 from the audience? Clearly in 1996, they failed on both.

Kim and Michael actually aren't on the show together for very long. I don't think TPTB purposely kept Reva and Roger out of each other's orbits, but there just wasn't an organic way to throw them into the same story. Reva was hardly ever involved in the business side of anything, she didn't have a daughter old enough to fall into his clutches, and with Billy in jail, the Lewises were mostly off his radar.

It's not like Reva didn't interact with established characters around town, but a lot of times, she was anchoring her own story with new characters. Just as an example, she and Ross rarely interacted on a personal level until Dylan was dating Sam (his niece). Reva would always be off fight to wrestle Josh (or any man) away from a woman, or getting family, or off walking into paintings and getting cloned.

5 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Kim and Michael actually aren't on the show together for very long. I don't think TPTB purposely kept Reva and Roger out of each other's orbits, but there just wasn't an organic way to throw them into the same story. Reva was hardly ever involved in the business side of anything, she didn't have a daughter old enough to fall into his clutches, and with Billy in jail, the Lewises were mostly off his radar.

It's not like Reva didn't interact with established characters around town, but a lot of times, she was anchoring her own story with new characters. Just as an example, she and Ross rarely interacted on a personal level until Dylan was dating Sam (his niece). Reva would always be off fight to wrestle Josh (or any man) away from a woman, or getting family, or off walking into paintings and getting cloned.

😂😂😂

Still looking forward to that day in the far away future to determine whether this painting portal is more silly than the clone storyline or not.

10 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

😂😂😂

Still looking forward to that day in the far away future to determine whether this painting portal is more silly than the clone storyline or not.

From what I remember, it's a bit dull.

@P.J. - how can you hate this man?!? 😜

Ok, was watching other soap opera stuff and this came up as my next suggested video and wow...

THIS is the Guiding Light I loved and want more of. 1995 has remnants of this vibe that I fell in love with. I think I'm having a midlife crisis where anything from the early/mid-90s makes me feel nostalgic haha, but honestly this is what I can't wait to see more of. This episode gave me the community vibe I love from Springfield.

Ed and Maureen wanting to go to Hamp's to watch the Super Bowl (or maybe some other important game)! Watching Hamp in a scene where he isn't reduced to playing a saxophone is amazing. I don't know who the lady he's with is, but it's cute. Then my favorite scene of the episode - Hamp, Ed, Ross, Fletcher and Billy watching the football game together. These are scenes I want to see more of. Bonding, friendship and realistic stuff.

Seeing Holly and Roger flirt at the diner - omg! This is the couple I love. Fletcher - no. Then Lillian came in and David talked to her, aww. I could easily see Roger helping a crazy Holly during her child kidnapping days.

Eleni actually having a life and personality, and seeing Alan-Michael with her, I'm already in love with these two and their dark hair together haha. Honestly Rick Hearst could get it when he was that young. This episode alone makes me realize the recast Eleni was nothing in the eyes of TPTB.

This is wild seeing Eleni, Blake, Maureen and little Michelle dancing together and being friends. You don't see Michelle, Eleni or Blake ever interacting in 1995, just 2.5 years later. Ugh.

This Mallet guy is hot... and honestly Beth Ehlers aged very well.

Most importantly, @P.J. - Henry calling Jenna "Jen", and treating her like a daughter. Vanessa, looking way too overdressed, seeming way too upset with Henry's feelings for Jenna haha. Gosh I miss Henry, what a sweet man. Oh and this is when Billy was there...

Ohh and a note that Lillian left Ed!

No Reva. No Josh. And I loved this episode. GL was and could have been GL without them.

4 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Ok, was watching other soap opera stuff and this came up as my next suggested video and wow...

THIS is the Guiding Light I loved and want more of. 1995 has remnants of this vibe that I fell in love with. I think I'm having a midlife crisis where anything from the early/mid-90s makes me feel nostalgic haha, but honestly this is what I can't wait to see more of. This episode gave me the community vibe I love from Springfield.

Ed and Maureen wanting to go to Hamp's to watch the Super Bowl (or maybe some other important game)! Watching Hamp in a scene where he isn't reduced to playing a saxophone is amazing. I don't know who the lady he's with is, but it's cute. Then my favorite scene of the episode - Hamp, Ed, Ross, Fletcher and Billy watching the football game together. These are scenes I want to see more of. Bonding, friendship and realistic stuff.

Seeing Holly and Roger flirt at the diner - omg! This is the couple I love. Fletcher - no. Then Lillian came in and David talked to her, aww. I could easily see Roger helping a crazy Holly during her child kidnapping days.

Eleni actually having a life and personality, and seeing Alan-Michael with her, I'm already in love with these two and their dark hair together haha. Honestly Rick Hearst could get it when he was that young. This episode alone makes me realize the recast Eleni was nothing in the eyes of TPTB.

This is wild seeing Eleni, Blake, Maureen and little Michelle dancing together and being friends. You don't see Michelle, Eleni or Blake ever interacting in 1995, just 2.5 years later. Ugh.

This Mallet guy is hot... and honestly Beth Ehlers aged very well.

Most importantly, @P.J. - Henry calling Jenna "Jen", and treating her like a daughter. Vanessa, looking way too overdressed, seeming way too upset with Henry's feelings for Jenna haha. Gosh I miss Henry, what a sweet man. Oh and this is when Billy was there...

Ohh and a note that Lillian left Ed!

No Reva. No Josh. And I loved this episode. GL was and could have been GL without them.

I will warn you as a fellow AM/Rick Hearst fan, Elena & AM look great together and have some moments here and there but there’s long stretches where he’s toying with his Spaulding side that are very unpleasant to watch. In some ways I’d argue Eleni is AM’s addiction story.

4 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Ok, was watching other soap opera stuff and this came up as my next suggested video and wow...

THIS is the Guiding Light I loved and want more of. 1995 has remnants of this vibe that I fell in love with. I think I'm having a midlife crisis where anything from the early/mid-90s makes me feel nostalgic haha, but honestly this is what I can't wait to see more of. This episode gave me the community vibe I love from Springfield.

Ed and Maureen wanting to go to Hamp's to watch the Super Bowl (or maybe some other important game)! Watching Hamp in a scene where he isn't reduced to playing a saxophone is amazing. I don't know who the lady he's with is, but it's cute. Then my favorite scene of the episode - Hamp, Ed, Ross, Fletcher and Billy watching the football game together. These are scenes I want to see more of. Bonding, friendship and realistic stuff.

Seeing Holly and Roger flirt at the diner - omg! This is the couple I love. Fletcher - no. Then Lillian came in and David talked to her, aww. I could easily see Roger helping a crazy Holly during her child kidnapping days.

Eleni actually having a life and personality, and seeing Alan-Michael with her, I'm already in love with these two and their dark hair together haha. Honestly Rick Hearst could get it when he was that young. This episode alone makes me realize the recast Eleni was nothing in the eyes of TPTB.

This is wild seeing Eleni, Blake, Maureen and little Michelle dancing together and being friends. You don't see Michelle, Eleni or Blake ever interacting in 1995, just 2.5 years later. Ugh.

This Mallet guy is hot... and honestly Beth Ehlers aged very well.

Most importantly, @P.J. - Henry calling Jenna "Jen", and treating her like a daughter. Vanessa, looking way too overdressed, seeming way too upset with Henry's feelings for Jenna haha. Gosh I miss Henry, what a sweet man. Oh and this is when Billy was there...

Ohh and a note that Lillian left Ed!

No Reva. No Josh. And I loved this episode. GL was and could have been GL without them.

LOL - That was fast! You sure got drawn in quicky, didn't ya?! Good.

The young lady opposite David in the diner is Katherine Speakes, Hamp's daughter. Better known as Kat and portrayed by Nia Long. Their conversation is great here - especially that underplayed bit where David says he got something nice for X-mas..."you came by to see me." I also like to short interaction with Lillian...she didn't just get up and leave the diner as purely background fodder.

Kat and Bridget are good buddies.

You're going to witness plenty of underplayed yet surprising effective/significant moments in your early 1990s viewing. Lots of friendships, too, a few of which are surprising. All with plenty of chaos and complications to go around.

Perhaps you'll bring CrazySexyQ with you for the ride!

18 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

LOL - That was fast! You sure got drawn in quicky, didn't ya?! Good.

The young lady opposite David in the diner is Katherine Speakes, Hamp's daughter. Better known as Kat and portrayed by Nia Long. Their conversation is great here - especially that underplayed bit where David says he got something nice for X-mas..."you came by to see me." I also like to short interaction with Lillian...she didn't just get up and leave the diner as purely background fodder.

Kat and Bridget are good buddies.

You're going to witness plenty of underplayed yet surprising effective/significant moments in your early 1990s viewing. Lots of friendships, too, a few of which are surprising. All with plenty of chaos and complications to go around.

Perhaps you'll bring CrazySexyQ with you for the ride!

When I first started watching 1990 eps it was striking how much more integrated the Spauldings were to the community as a whole. Maureen was the heart for sure, but Bev’s Alex was the ultimate insider who ran the town in many ways. The Spaulding mansion stopped being the center of “high society” after she left and it really impacted how the town felt like a community too.

Coming in not long before Reva drove off the bridge, one thing that was striking to me was how Phillip is a bit underestimated as a connecting character. Phillip/AM being close at the time really made their extended family units extend out pretty far with the Marlers/Bauers.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by GL95

46 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

LOL - That was fast! You sure got drawn in quicky, didn't ya?! Good.

The young lady opposite David in the diner is Katherine Speakes, Hamp's daughter. Better known as Kat and portrayed by Nia Long. Their conversation is great here - especially that underplayed bit where David says he got something nice for X-mas..."you came by to see me." I also like to short interaction with Lillian...she didn't just get up and leave the diner as purely background fodder.

Kat and Bridget are good buddies.

You're going to witness plenty of underplayed yet surprising effective/significant moments in your early 1990s viewing. Lots of friendships, too, a few of which are surprising. All with plenty of chaos and complications to go around.

Perhaps you'll bring CrazySexyQ with you for the ride!

And look at all those Millennial babies in the X-mas closing credits of that December 28, 1992, episode!! Wow. Little tykes all over the place.