January 1999:

just started this show from completely bare bones so if I get stuff confused or mixed up be patient while I learn all the characters.

 

Josh and Reva I am assuming are the super couple of the show in this time period. They remind me of John and Marlena from Days. There’s a lot of drama surrounding this Annie person so appears to be Teri with plastic surgery. Her relationship with Alan is interesting to say the least !

 

Harley is my favourite character so far I think. The relationship she has with Daisy is really touching and sweet. I remember being that age and wanting my parents to be back together. The cough syrup drama was interesting and I’m really kind of annoyed with Phillip. I’m hoping she dumps him and gets with the hot dad of Daisy (forget his name) 

 

Also following the Michelle storyline where she unalived her grapist (not sure if we can use that language on here or not). Danny’s mom is cold as ice! I’ll have to keep following to see what ends up coming of that relationship. 
 

I am really intrigued by Dinah. She certainly strikes me as the Sheila Carter or Kristen DiMera type character of the show. I’m sure there will be some interesting stuff to come with her. The drama seems to revolve around this Cassie person (who I have not yet seen on screen but I’m sure I will soon) 

17 hours ago, P.J. said:

GL does have Infinity, and ATWT had Bilan. (Bilan was the daughter of the drug-dealer Bob married, but I swear, we didn't know for months who or what Bilan was.)

Oh thanks for bringing back "Bilan" What a dumb name and why didnt Miranda just say "Its my daughter" So much was spent on Bilan that summer (just an excuse to copy Mr. Big before Margo and Tom get a real storyline in the fall) and she was so boring and then gone..she could have at least been a trouble making bitotch.

 

Edited June 16Jun 16 by Mitch64

4 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

January 1999:

just started this show from completely bare bones so if I get stuff confused or mixed up be patient while I learn all the characters.

 

Josh and Reva I am assuming are the super couple of the show in this time period. They remind me of John and Marlena from Days. There’s a lot of drama surrounding this Annie person so appears to be Teri with plastic surgery. Her relationship with Alan is interesting to say the least !

 

Harley is my favourite character so far I think. The relationship she has with Daisy is really touching and sweet. I remember being that age and wanting my parents to be back together. The cough syrup drama was interesting and I’m really kind of annoyed with Phillip. I’m hoping she dumps him and gets with the hot dad of Daisy (forget his name) 

 

Also following the Michelle storyline where she unalived her grapist (not sure if we can use that language on here or not). Danny’s mom is cold as ice! I’ll have to keep following to see what ends up coming of that relationship. 
 

I am really intrigued by Dinah. She certainly strikes me as the Sheila Carter or Kristen DiMera type character of the show. I’m sure there will be some interesting stuff to come with her. The drama seems to revolve around this Cassie person (who I have not yet seen on screen but I’m sure I will soon) 

I'm so happy that more and more people are re-discovering these older soaps and watching them. They are living second lives. Please keep us updated on your GL journey! 😊

3 minutes ago, Maxim said:

I'm so happy that more and more people are re-discovering these older soaps and watching them. They are living second lives. Please keep us updated on your GL journey! 😊

I really do long for the days when soaps had big budgets and a super large cast with many different storylines so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. 90’s-early 2000s era is when I got into soaps and it’s still my favourite time period for any soap opera I watched. 

This show so far is giving classic soap opera with all of the elements I love about soaps. Definitely going to keep watching. 

2 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I really do long for the days when soaps had big budgets and a super large cast with many different storylines so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. 90’s-early 2000s era is when I got into soaps and it’s still my favourite time period for any soap opera I watched. 

This show so far is giving classic soap opera with all of the elements I love about soaps. Definitely going to keep watching. 

I enjoyed GL 1992-mid 1993 immensely. I've been diving into other soaps these past 2 years, but I know deep down I'll return to it sooner or later. Same as you, I like the richer production values... the cinematic feel that soaps lack in the modern day era... and of course... the writing which is so much better.  

3 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I really do long for the days when soaps had big budgets and a super large cast with many different storylines

Even though I watched many of these episodes going all the way back to the late 1970s, it's weird now to see how many characters are in scenes compared to soaps today. They have literal crowds of non-speaking extras in scenes sometimes. There are way more minor speaking parts. I feel like saying, "Are you sure you can afford all those people?" 😁

12 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I really do long for the days when soaps had big budgets and a super large cast with many different storylines so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. 90’s-early 2000s era is when I got into soaps and it’s still my favourite time period for any soap opera I watched. 

This show so far is giving classic soap opera with all of the elements I love about soaps. Definitely going to keep watching. 

I'm so glad you posted your thoughts!  I feel the exact same way as you. I started watching AMC as a kid in '90-91 and then watched OLTL/GH/DAYS here and there during the summers when I was out of school. I then watched ATWT in the mid-2000s. I had seen clips of GL, but never watched it in full. Out of the blue this March, I decided to start watching GL for the Brent/Marion storyline, beginning Feb 1995, and I'm now up to Nov 1996. I had the exact same thoughts as you - big budgets, great sets, tons of characters/storylines, better storytelling and cliffhangers than anything you see today. It really felt nostalgic and I'm really enjoying watching GL. I was hooked from the beginning.

Keep up your thoughts!  Annie is a character that came in late 1994, so I've seen her journey throughout 95-96 and she's great. Same with Dinah - she came in Feb 1995 and has been such a dynamic force. She's the daughter of Vanessa and Ross.

If you ever have any questions, we've got some great posters here with the answers. It'll be awhile before I get to 1999, but can't wait!

6 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Even though I watched many of these episodes going all the way back to the late 1970s, it's weird now to see how many characters are in scenes compared to soaps today. They have literal crowds of non-speaking extras in scenes sometimes. There are way more minor speaking parts. I feel like saying, "Are you sure you can afford all those people?" 😁

They really knew how to make the scene feel real. I’m only about 8 episodes in but I still don’t think I’ve even been introduced to the full cast yet. I can already tell which storylines are front burner and which ones aren’t. The storylines were also so much more edgy and they weren’t afraid to push boundaries. Soaps just rely on silly soap opera tropes now that hardly reflect real life or real social issues. It’s just gotten so lazy. It’s very glaring when you watch these older shows. 

8 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Even though I watched many of these episodes going all the way back to the late 1970s, it's weird now to see how many characters are in scenes compared to soaps today. They have literal crowds of non-speaking extras in scenes sometimes. There are way more minor speaking parts. I feel like saying, "Are you sure you can afford all those people?" 😁

Haha I think the same. Kim actually wrote about this in her book, she said daytime was so popular and made the networks so much money. The money daytime pulled in was enough to pay for their primetime shows back then. Eventually, that changed once the internet/spoilers, working moms, etc came through. The ad revenue just dwindled.

19 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

I wish I could contribute to the 80s talk!  Maybe one day   

 

I’m up to November 4, 1996.

Oh wow, on October 8th and 9th we got a few scenes of Vanessa in bed talking to a doctor, not being able to move! However, it sounds like she’s getting special treatments from this doctor. I thought we lost Maeve for a long time, so it was a nice surprise to see her face for a bit.

Bill is having a hard time living at the house, with everything reminding him of his mother. So, he moves to the boarding house and gets incorporated further in the teen/20s set. He’s getting into fights though and having a hard time coping with all the change.

Company got upgraded! And honestly, it looks cheap and the same haha. The whole opening night was random and chaotic:  Roger rigged the chandelier to come down on Bridget (why?), but she escaped from getting hurt thanks to Matt, and the party continues; then Matt gets into a very long, karate knife fight with some random guy in the middle of the dance floor that goes nowhere; Reva shows up alone ready to party and randomly spends most of an episode meeting, dancing and hanging out with J (so random); Rick and Abby almost have their first kiss but he stops it; and a bunch of extras are dancing out of sync to very muted music the entire night, which is very cringe to watch.

Quint is courting Nola again in hopes of getting back together. This is happening very slowly, like one episode every other week on average.

Bridget’s obsession over Hart is so cringe, I wish they gave her something else to do. I also find it cringe they have two different courtships happening between 20-something men and high school girls (Marcus/Dahlia; Zachary/Michelle).

Buzz is walking around town with bombs and threatening to blow things up. I think they think this is funny, but it’s not since it’s real. He stopped the bomb two seconds before he, Reva and the diner blew up, and then he goes to Spaulding Mansion and threatens to blow everyone up, like it’s a funny joke.  Weird.

Ok, October 16 was the last episode where McTavish is credited. October 17th was the start of Annie’s intervention. Which, btw, was SO good. Everyone did a great job, but Watros really was amazing in those scenes. O’Leary stood out as well. Reva had NO business being there though. Nobody should have allowed her to be there considering she’s the trigger for Annie’s addiction. She was also a b!tch to her during it all. And a distraught Annie tells Rick about one of Blake’s baby being his - good reveal to Rick!

Then Annie detoxing at the cabin with Phillip - great scenes there too!  I really like the friendship they have together and Phillip’s support during the whole thing. Watros again was amazing and in particular I enjoyed the direction and camera angles, especially as she’s sobbing outside in Phillip’s arms and again in the shower, fully clothed.

So Alan was A. Spaulding - shocker *yawns*. I’m just glad that’s over now, which I guess the new writers were happy to end too now that McTavish is gone. Same with the 5th Street stuff, seems like they just quickly finished that. Now I’m excited to see what the new bigger storylines are to come…

Oh, Halloween night had some great cliffhangers! Dinah gets trapped in silo rain bin, not knowing that Roger set it up to trap her. It starts to storm and rain is collecting, while she’s screaming out for Peter, who is all alone with Roger now. Bridget/Hart get a flat tire and are now helpless and unable to get back to the farm. Annie/Phillip return home from the detox cabin and walk in on Reva/Josh dancing with the kids cheering them on.  And finally, Blake is alone at the cabin and starts to go into labor as the storm rolls through, while Dr. Margaret tells Ross and Rick that one of the babies isn’t getting enough nutrients and may be in trouble. Rick, now knowing he’s one of the fathers, gets worried but can’t talk to Ross about it, who still thinks he’s the father of both. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Oh..the redo of Company, a family pub/restaraunt into a soap version of the 90s hip nightclub...so ugly. I like how Rauch just turns it back (though looking overly lit and generic as all his sets are) with no mention from anyone. 

I don't remember Buzz with bombs..(if only he blew himself up) At this point you can tell McTavish is just saying f you to GL and could care less. A. Spaulding was supposed to be Blake, but McTavish got pissed that everyone figured it out. I would have still gone with Blake, it could have led to Phillip being angry at her and most likely spilling the baby beans.  It being Alan would have given Phillip a new reason to hate him and fight him at Spaulding, instead of calling him "dad" and doing nothing, but they drop that.

Annie, and the twins..none of this makes sense with the rewrite later. They were chem testing Phillip and Annie here. Bridget's obsession and the Quint and Nola stop/start is annoying..they don't know what to do with the Reardons at this point. Bill having issues with Mom's "death" could have given them the reason to push Chelle more in his orbit to help him through it...but she is too busy hoping to get banged by an angel...Oy!!!!!

34 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I really do long for the days when soaps had big budgets and a super large cast with many different storylines so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. 90’s-early 2000s era is when I got into soaps and it’s still my favourite time period for any soap opera I watched. 

This show so far is giving classic soap opera with all of the elements I love about soaps. Definitely going to keep watching. 

What other soaps are in your particulra soap history? My forever favorite is AW, followed closely by GL & then Santa Barbara. I just finished editing some AW with Denise Alexander with Chris Robinson, may they both rest in peace.

 

Edited June 16Jun 16 by Contessa Donatella

31 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

I don't remember Buzz with bombs..(if only he blew himself up) At this point you can tell McTavish is just saying f you to GL and could care less. A. Spaulding was supposed to be Blake, but McTavish got pissed that everyone figured it out. I would have still gone with Blake, it could have led to Phillip being angry at her and most likely spilling the baby beans.  It being Alan would have given Phillip a new reason to hate him and fight him at Spaulding, instead of calling him "dad" and doing nothing, but they drop that.

Annie, and the twins..none of this makes sense with the rewrite later. They were chem testing Phillip and Annie here. Bridget's obsession and the Quint and Nola stop/start is annoying..they don't know what to do with the Reardons at this point. Bill having issues with Mom's "death" could have given them the reason to push Chelle more in his orbit to help him through it...but she is too busy hoping to get banged by an angel...Oy!!!!!

Yep they've been chem testing Phillip and Annie for a long time (random bump-ins all over town). I actually really got invested in their relationship during her detox week at the cabin. I don't know where it'll go, but I wouldn't mind a Phillip/Annie pairing.

Interesting about Blake intending to be the A. Spaulding. The fans/soap mags figured it out and she switched it? Blake had so much going on elsewhere between throwing Roger under the bus in his storyline, having these twins with the secret over the daddies, etc. That really would have put her in every storyline going on at the time.

Here is the Oct 14 episode with Buzz threatening to blow up the diner when he was mad at Reva (starts 12:40 mark, then after they make up, at 33:50 they remember the bomb was still going and stopped it with 2 seconds left 🙄). 

And then Oct 17 - he storms into the Spaulding Mansion at 1:20 mark and threatens to blow them up.  

 

1 hour ago, alwaysAMC said:

Here is the Oct 14 episode with Buzz threatening to blow up the diner when he was mad at Reva (starts 12:40 mark, then after they make up, at 33:50 they remember the bomb was still going and stopped it with 2 seconds left 🙄). 

God, I hate Buzz but even I would not do that to him!Of course he is going to blow up the diner for Reva, cause her middle aged ass causes all the men to go nuts, and this was the same diner a year before he was saving from a fire, is his families bread and butter (dont they live there too, I never got the Coopers living arrangments )and not that anyone else on the street might be injured or he would go to jail. I can't believe no one just rewrote those scenes, McTavish be damned.

Phillip and Annie would be interesting, but then you would not have had Annie the Cartoon Psycho to give worn out Jeva a story.

Mmmm, uptight Ross in his suit and glasses!!!

Edited June 16Jun 16 by Mitch64

1 hour ago, alwaysAMC said:

I'm so glad you posted your thoughts!  I feel the exact same way as you. I started watching AMC as a kid in '90-91 and then watched OLTL/GH/DAYS here and there during the summers when I was out of school. I then watched ATWT in the mid-2000s. I had seen clips of GL, but never watched it in full. Out of the blue this March, I decided to start watching GL for the Brent/Marion storyline, beginning Feb 1995, and I'm now up to Nov 1996. I had the exact same thoughts as you - big budgets, great sets, tons of characters/storylines, better storytelling and cliffhangers than anything you see today. It really felt nostalgic and I'm really enjoying watching GL. I was hooked from the beginning.

Keep up your thoughts!  Annie is a character that came in late 1994, so I've seen her journey throughout 95-96 and she's great. Same with Dinah - she came in Feb 1995 and has been such a dynamic force. She's the daughter of Vanessa and Ross.

If you ever have any questions, we've got some great posters here with the answers. It'll be awhile before I get to 1999, but can't wait!

Yeah I’m still learning the family dynamics and who is tied to who on the canvas but it’s definitely fun being new to it.

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

What other soaps are in your particulra soap history? My forever favorite is AW, followed closely by GL & then Santa Barbara. I just finished editing some AW with Denise Alexander with Chris Robinson, may they both rest in peace.

 

As a young millennial the two soaps I watched consistently was Y&R and Passions because they aired back to back after school here in Canada for years. All the other soaps were on while I was in school. However, every summer or sick days I watched Days too. I remember being hooked during the day in the summer in the early 2000s. 
 

I recently tried getting into B&B from the start and I couldn’t do it. I don’t like their format that much and how it’s only a handful of characters. I grew really tired and bored of the Ridge & Caroline drama after like 30 episodes or so. I like having the variety of storylines going on simultaneously.

So I'm watching the episode with the car crash that kills Chelsea's fiancee--and who should turn up as a nurse at Cedars but Fiona Hutchinson! I had no idea she was on the show before playing Jenna.

They really tried to sell Chelsea as the "wild" Reardon, and she turned out to be pretty dull. 😂

The other funny thing about this episode was Reva and Kyle planning their wedding, with two of Reva's ex-husbands in the wedding party. Totally normal!

Edited June 16Jun 16 by DeeVee