6 hours ago, P.J. said:

There's no denying Long had talent, unlike someone like Bradley Bell, nepo baby who's been recycling his father's storylines since he began.

I certainly agree--her GL had a sense of action and humor.

I loved how Pam Long would go for the emotional jugular. Whether it was a moment that had you by the edge of your seat, or one that just ripped your heart out, she totally went for it. Several have said that she and Douglas Marland might have been a dream team, and I'm inclined to agree.

I'm sure this is old news for some GL fans, but I got weirdly excited to see Laura Wright, Paul Anthony Stewart, and David Andrew MacDonald sharing scenes on Loving circa 1994. (3:03 mark) I knew and loved LW and PAS as Ally and Casey. But color me shocked when I saw David appear as a priest officiating their wedding (and also giving Ally and Cooper couples therapy). I really wish GL had leaned more into Danny and Cassie. The chemistry was always there. But at least I got Cassie and Edmund, dysfunctional as they were.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by CrazySexyQ

1 hour ago, Khan said:

I loved how Pam Long would go for the emotional jugular. Whether it was a moment that had you by the edge of your seat, or one that just ripped your heart out, she totally went for it. Several have said that she and Douglas Marland might have been a dream team, and I'm inclined to agree.

Even when you hated it, they were punches to the gut that heightened the stakes. Soaps today just don't have that emotional wallop anymore. When you compare BtG (written by a HW with decades of experience) to Long's first two years of GL, it's no contest. I don't know if soaps are just playing it safer now with more jaded audiences, or what. But it's not the same.

38 minutes ago, CrazySexyQ said:

I really wish GL had leaned more into Danny and Cassie. The chemistry was always there. But at least I got Cassie and Edmund, dysfunctional as they were.

I did not mind Danny/Cassie, what there was of it. I'm not sure who was playing Michelle at the time, but it's never a bad thing for the audience to feel that triangles are equally sided.

14 minutes ago, P.J. said:

I don't know if soaps are just playing it safer now with more jaded audiences, or what. But it's not the same.

It's as if TPTB are afraid to indulge in such heightened emotions for fear of looking...well...looking like a soap, lol.

34 minutes ago, Khan said:

It's as if TPTB are afraid to indulge in such heightened emotions for fear of looking...well...looking like a soap, lol.

Right?

BTG isn't a fair comparison because that soap has so many hands in the pot, that it can create a big mess. Not only do you have CBS, but you have P & G and the NAACP.. so I can imagine MVJ is probably stifled a bit about how she presents key moments. If only people listened to Irna Phillips, who would only reveal enough about a story to get it approved and then put in the twists and gut punches. That's what writers need to do, they need to present just enough where they get the Ok and then throw in the real story.

As convoluted as the Sonni story turned out to be, the scenes of Sonni unraveling as she reveals the guilt she felt over the suicide of her late sister Solita was memorable, or the scream of terror coming from Holly's mouth the second she sees that Roger Thorpe is alive.. or the intensity of Phillip as he tries to dig up Beth's grave.. and Reva driving off the bridge was a scene for the books after weeks of build-up.

And Long had the ability to write strong male and female characters as well as male friendships.

Soaps sadly don't have the ability to recreate those scenes due to budget, filming out of order, and the writing not allowed to go deep.

I know it's not exactly a fair comparison, as Long didn't have to create an entire world along with the characters in that world. And most of Long's actors weren't completely new to the mechanics of a soap.

I can't recall anyone saying Marland and Long would've made a good team. If there's any team I'd have wanted to see, it would be Marland/Curlee. I kind of wonder if Curlee doesn't deserve credit for the repercussions playing out through town, while Long was more focused on Reva's antics. Marland was great at the big picture, but could get stuck in emotional ruts.