Thanks for confirming. I had seen him in a later sequence with Tom Lignon going off about a missing Jack and I thought it was him, but couldn't be positive.
I think most of the significant changes were network dictated. Marland had no issue doing the interracial romance several years later, albeit with a white man and a black woman. That seems more like a network issue especially since the character of Lyle Turner doesn't seem to appear until later in the show paired off with Terry Hindman, Art's daughter. With that said, the Terry / Lyle coupling was ripe for conflict given what was to come with Jack's trial and both of their fathers involved in the case. It would have been easy to just dump the character of Lyle, but bringing on Terry seems to suggest there may have some plans. I do think given that the show is given a rather public turnover in early 1984 with network dictates, it would suggest that the changes weren't internal.
Thinking of other things that didn't happen in the bible would also suggest network interference. Billy Bristow's impotence is dropped before it aired, presumably. While this isn't something Marland would tell again, I do think it seems more like network insecurity over the writers. The problem becomes once you start to pull threads out the other stories start to fall apart. The Rita Mae / Mike affair made less sense when Rita Mae's lust had less rationale. With Roger dying, Patrick's death would seem like overkill in the same period. I also have to wonder if the sexual issues were added so that Nixon could play the game and get the incest plot through by offering up another tawdry tale as a peace offering. In addition, the decision to not include Jake Vochek, the father, seems like a network who doesn't want too many older characters.
I like Marland's work, but I don't think he was the right person to launch the show. Nixon should have done it solo. The writing staff in those early years doesn't seem pleasant. Dan Wakefield departs during pre-production. Mulcahey complaints about Nixon's notes. Marland leaves and his creator credit disappears. Given the creative environment of ABC in this era, I could see Nixon frustrated trying to fight for a show that was grounded in realism rather than escapism. Part of me wonders how Pat Falken Smith would have paired with Nixon. Probably a behind the scenes nightmare, but never boring onscreen.
After Ava brought a gun to a showdown with Stacey, I'd say its a bit of just desserts.
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dc11786 ·
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