fan casting:

Nichiolas Coster (SB) or Jed Allan (SB) as Alan in the 90s.

10 hours ago, Speed Racer said:

I suspected you'd like that second week of July 1993! (And I encourage everyone here who is already familiar to go back and rewatch that week. Crammed with good material, nearly non-stop. Not only Roger/Holly and Ed/Michelle, but Gilly/Hamp/Roger as well).

Monto Sharp is outstanding in those diner scenes. Just the look on his face! And poor Stavros. I really liked Stavros.

GL won for the Emmy for Best Writing of 1993. When you see what you just saw, GL95, it's no wonder.

Not sure why some people here admonish 1993 (resentful over the loss of Maureen, perhaps)? Things start to slide late in the year, but not until then.

@Speed Racer , I'm a big fan of this period as well. The writing for Roger was extremely effective, especially his reaction to Holly turning down his marriage proposal. The way that he coped with that by going after several other characters on the show was brilliant.

Annette

3 hours ago, GL Oldtimer said:

@Speed Racer , I'm a big fan of this period as well. The writing for Roger was extremely effective, especially his reaction to Holly turning down his marriage proposal. The way that he coped with that by going after several other characters on the show was brilliant.

Annette

A big yes on that! And the writing was great for several characters.

Months ago, I posted about a quick, almost brush-aside scene between Hart and Alexandra that I found unbelievably good. I love that kind of stuff, the seemingly unimportant, almost casual comments/observations that actually are a very big deal.

Curlee and crew were quite effective at it and didn't hesitate to employ it.

How does this relate to July 1993?

Ed and Michelle sitting opposite one another at the kitchen table. They're talking a tad tacitly about Ed's infidelity, but not so much so that any meaning gets lost. The writers gave Michelle/Rachel Miner what might be considered a throwaway line: "I knew, but I didn't".

Brilliant! Not only loaded with meaning and consequence, but also a perfect thing for a reasonably smart 11- or 12-year-old to say. It's so on target! Note that Michelle isn't screaming or yelling but rather is having a conversation with her father. And that conversation is done "Ed-style", putting Michelle in Ed's wheelhouse and not the other way around. That's critical. It gives Ed the relief from worry (about Michelle) that he desperately sought. He now understands where she is because she was ready to tell him and she instinctively knew how to tell him! The catalyst of her overt readiness, of course, being the prospect of her father dying at the cliff house.

All of that crammed into a maybe 2-3 minute scene. Blows my mind.

Note, too, that both characters are seated across from each other, at the middle of the kitchen table, rather than having either seated at the head of the table.

6 hours ago, Spoon said:

fan casting:

Nichiolas Coster (SB) or Jed Allan (SB) as Alan in the 90s.

In 1994 Nicolas Coster was on As the World Turns and Jed Allan was on 90210 so the timing was off.

I think JFP wanted to cast either Roscoe Born or Lane Davies as Alan but I suspect they were either not interested or not available.

6 hours ago, Spoon said:

fan casting:

Nichiolas Coster (SB) or Jed Allan (SB) as Alan in the 90s.

Of the two, I'd choose Coster, but mostly because I'd at least seen him as Eduardo. I've only scene Allan in episodic TV. I don't think either quite fits the role. Coster somehow doesn't seem imposing enough. Allan seems too straightforward to be a behind the scenes master manipulator.