21 hours ago, DeeVee said:

After all his wailing over his son and how important it was to be a present father, he basically abandons him. They put the character in a coma to explain why he wasn't in SF questioning the paternity of Reva's baby (they had Sally take over that task). And how close he and Billy supposedly were...they could have handled it so much better. They should have just killed him off (which they did eventually off screen). 

!!!! That whole thing was a total abomination. Maybe she wanted to showcase her singing? (But she's not being judge as a singer... I don't get it).

Interesting how she talked about the year being hard--probably a reference to the EP change/multiple writer changes. Couldn't have been easy for any of the cast and crew.

Yes. We did. 

Honestly, though, I personally hated the time travel story a lot more. Having Alan and Olivia turn up as Nazis in the past was so gross. 

The big lesson she learned from that experience? "Trust your heart." 🤢

These storylines were just a way to have her suck up a lot air time.

Reva was Where Is Waldoing all over the place during her first absence. They couldn't just have her wash up on the Florida coast with amnesia. NO, she had to end up as the princess of a fictional kingdom and then go Amish!

(Not to be pedantic, but it was Reva's mom Sara who insisted she saw Reva in the Italian travelogue).

 

I think there was an intent to recast Kyle. There's something about an accident and plastic surgery. I don't know if Long's return put a kibosh on that, or if they just decided to bring Sonni on instead.

It was a strategy, back in the day, to submit two totally different "sides" of the character. With her being some character in Phillip's book, it's almost like being twins. Later, the strategy became to show "connected" episodes that gave the judges the idea of the story. I have no idea what they do now.

Both Billy and Sarah insisted they saw Reva. I don't remember if they saw it separately, or if Billy saw it and showed it to Sarah first, but Billy was definitely in the thick of it. I believe he went to WSPR to get a copy of the show, and then used a lab tech there to try and enhance the still to determine if it was Reva. He brings it to Josh, and then offers to go to Italy himself and look for her. Billy's judgement was questionable, because he's still drinking at this time.

21 hours ago, DeeVee said:

They got SO far away from Beth in the latter part of BC's run. You can make the argument \

Hmmm... this puts an interesting light on something else she mentioned in the Locher Room. She said Elvera Roussel came up to her and said, "Don't worry, this is the NICE soap opera set." (Something like that). I wonder if she meant that she didn't need to worry about that kind of thing at GL.

Right? I guess I wouldn't have wanted a completely, earnestly idealistic Beth either, but I just don't like BC in her return.

I had not really put what Elvera said together with this before. It does make you go 'hmmn'? and wonder how much was known about the situation then. 

20 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

I was also going to add that understanding Kim's personality through her book, and watching few interviews of Maeve, I have a feeling those two were total opposites or maybe didn't get along, hence why one liked Rauch and the other didn't. I'm now reading a new chapter in Kim's book and she finally mentions Maeve briefly, but completely spells her last name wrong: Kincaid!

 

I agree that they seem like complete opposites. I don't really get the feeling they were especially close, they've never done a Locher room interview together that I know of, and the ones I've seen with Maeve, I don't think she's really said much about Kim. Maeve seems to have been closer to Rebecca Hollen (Trish) and Ellen Parker (Mo) and Maureen Garrett, as she, Ellen and Maureen shared a dressing room.

The one comment I do recall (and I can't remember if I read it or it's a Locher interview) was that the years where Vanessa was basically just Reva's foil were a little more difficult for her. Which is completely understandable.

36 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

This episode was my first time seeing Cassie which was surprising. I got the sense during all these episodes she is suppose to be the heroine of this story and yet she was barely on in January. However I totally understand and accept how stories would rotate and take turns being front burner, that was part of what I love about classic soap. Maybe I’ll see more of her now that Dinah seems to be losing her absolute [!@#$%^&*]. Dinah is gonna steal that woman’s baby isn’t she? I can feel it. 

I think Laura Wright had a baby at the end of 1998, so that's probably why she isn't on much in early '99.

I'm in January/98 in my own viewing and as much as I like Wright on Loving/The City, I'm finding Cassie kind of annoying and tending to side with Dinah in the Dinah/Hart/Cassie triangle, even though I've never been much of a Dinah fan and she's done some pretty offside things. Of course, I'm also finding myself rooting for Annie because Cynthia Watros is so entertaining now that Annie has gone completely off the rails. Can't wait to see  her grand finale.

8 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Phew ok good, I'm glad there wasn't beef between Zimmer and Maeve. But still irks me that she couldn't even spell her last name correctly in her book - I mean c'mon! 😂

Honestly, I don't think the book company really thought any soap fan would care about details or particulars. It's not exactly a history of Winston Churchill. They probably rushed it to publication, thinking KZ's fans would forget about her.

5 minutes ago, P.J. said:

I think there was an intent to recast Kyle. There's something about an accident and plastic surgery. I don't know if Long's return put a kibosh on that, or if they just decided to bring Sonni on instead.

MAYBE what possibly happened is they decided to give the story they would have given to Kyle to Alan instead. It could have just as easily been Kyle who dicked around with the DNA tests, who could have brought Sonni back and conspired with her to keep Reva and Josh apart. It saved them from a possible unsuccessful recast and they also saved money on another major character. 

(The irony is Bernau had to leave and they ended up with an unsuccessful recast with Pilon, but no one would have foreseen that).

I don't think there was anyone in the audience who wanted Reva and Alan together, while Reva and Kyle had a fanbase. But without Malloy, that could have changed. Which could be another reason why the decided not to bring Kyle back.

I never understood why they didn't do a Josh/Reva/Kyle triangle. Seemed like a no-brainer. But if Malloy wanted to leave, that  explains it.

20 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Both Billy and Sarah insisted they saw Reva. I don't remember if they saw it separately, or if Billy saw it and showed it to Sarah first, but Billy was definitely in the thick of it. I believe he went to WSPR to get a copy of the show, and then used a lab tech there to try and enhance the still to determine if it was Reva. He brings it to Josh, and then offers to go to Italy himself and look for her. Billy's judgement was questionable, because he's still drinking at this time.

My mom was the one watching the show more regularly than me at the time, so I could have been going on what she recounted to me. Memory is a funny thing!

 

3 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Honestly, I don't think the book company really thought any soap fan would care about details or particulars. It's not exactly a history of Winston Churchill. They probably rushed it to publication, thinking KZ's fans would forget about her.

How wrong they were!   I've learned that soap fans and Star Trek fans don't miss a beat.

3 minutes ago, Kane said:

I think Laura Wright had a baby at the end of 1998, so that's probably why she isn't on much in early '99.

I'm in January/98 in my own viewing and as much as I like Wright on Loving/The City, I'm finding Cassie kind of annoying and tending to side with Dinah in the Dinah/Hart/Cassie triangle, even though I've never been much of a Dinah fan and she's done some pretty offside things. Of course, I'm also finding myself rooting for Annie because Cynthia Watros is so entertaining now that Annie has gone completely off the rails. Can't wait to see  her grand finale.

I haven’t got to see Cynthia Watros as Annie because Signy Coleman is now playing her in 99 and I assume that’s how they explain the “new face” aka plastic surgery to look like Teri. I have no issue with this actress or how she’s selling the role, in fact I think they’re all doing a great job including Josh/Reva. I just feel the storylines a bit silly, but hey it was the late 90’s. These kind of storylines were everywhere back then. 
 

That makes sense about Laura Wright/Cassie not being on screen much at this time. I haven’t spent enough time with her yet to decide if I like her though. I will typically root for the heroine if I like the actress so time will tell. 

50 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

January 25th 1999 -
 

I got to see Vanessa and Ross interacting over their daughter, Dinah. They are concerned and rightfully so, or actually should I say Vanessa is concerned. Ross doesn’t seemed too bothered and maybe it’s the influence of that India character helping him be more “care free”. Still need to learn more about these people but I really appreciated that interaction between two parents of a grown up daughter, it felt real. I also really got the sense that these two people used to be married. I could picture it easily. 
 

Last but not least, this Blake and Ben characters are SUPER new to me.. I must confess. So I don’t know anything about this talk of Blake’s mother trying to kill Ben, but I’m certainly excited to find out more. If anyone wants to get into the back story of what happened pre-1999 im all ears! 

Oh Vanessa and Ross have had to deal with Dinah for years, it seems haha. They certainly have strong patience. Blake didn't back in the day with Dinah so I'm curious how Dinah/Blake get along in the late 90s.

I can't believe Holly (Blake's mom) tries to kill Ben!!!  That seems out of character unless Ben turns evil for some reason. Is Fletcher in the picture/on the show still at this time?  Holly/Fletcher got married in 1995, had a Down Syndrome baby (Meg), and Ben (who was an early teen at the time) moved in early 96 to go to boarding school to allow Holly and Fletcher the space to raise Meg. Fletcher is Ben's dad.

57 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

Last but not least, this Blake and Ben characters are SUPER new to me.. I must confess. So I don’t know anything about this talk of Blake’s mother trying to kill Ben, but I’m certainly excited to find out more. If anyone wants to get into the back story of what happened pre-1999 im all ears! 

Blake and Ross were married and had just reconciled after a very bad patch (she had slept with Rick Bauer and for a period of time thought she'd had his child) when Ben arrived in Springfield. He was a brother Ross had never known. He soon clashed with Blake, and there was a palpable attraction between them which led to an affair and her being split from Ross. Holly was having an extended mental breakdown at this point, targeting various "bad" mothers as the Nursery Rhyme Stalker. Ben suspected Holly's brother Ken of being the Stalker. Holly drugged Ben. He nearly drowned in his bathtub until Blake saved him. At the time of what you are watching, Ben had just found out about Holly being the Stalker as she'd blurted out the truth to Blake while ripping up her lingerie.

2 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

I can't believe Holly (Blake's mom) tries to kill Ben!!!  That seems out of character unless Ben turns evil for some reason. Is Fletcher in the picture/on the show still at this time?  Holly/Fletcher got married in 1995, had a Down Syndrome baby (Meg), and Ben (who was an early teen at the time) moved in early 96 to go to boarding school to allow Holly and Fletcher the space to raise Meg. Fletcher is Ben's dad.

This is a different Ben. 

Edited June 18Jun 18 by DRW50

5 hours ago, Mitch64 said:

That was a huge part of it, but I also think Zimmer had the mindset of "This is how the industry works, babe, learn to deal with it. I had to get through it, you do too." And as discussed, Zimmer does tend to like and respect men more,  so she could think, "Oh, its just a guy thing, tell him to go to hell" and not think through the implications that while she could tell people to go to hell, a younger/less established actress could not.

Not saying her view was right.

Exactly, there would've been a completely different power dynamic between any EP and an actress in her first role, and an EP and a three-time Emmy winning actress who is arguably the "face" of the show.

It does kind of poke holes in Zimmer's reputation as "truth teller" and standing up to power, if she disregarded his history because he wasn't messing with her paycheck. It would be interesting to hear what Beverlee had to say about him, given that she was on AW when Maeve was.

1 minute ago, DRW50 said:

Blake and Ross were married and had just reconciled after a very bad patch (she had slept with Rick Bauer and for a period of time thought she'd had his child) when Ben arrived in Springfield. He was a brother Ross had never known. He soon clashed with Blake, and there was a palpable attraction between them which led to an affair and her being split from Ross. Holly was having an extended mental breakdown at this point, targeting various "bad" mothers as the Nursery Rhyme Stalker. Ben suspected Holly's brother Ken of being the Stalker. Holly drugged Ben. He nearly drowned in his bathtub until Blake saved him. At the time of what you are watching, Ben had just found out about Holly being the Stalker as she'd blurted out the truth to Blake while ripping up her lingerie.

This is a different Ben. 

Oh haha - nevermind  That sounds like quite the story, finally giving Holly something to do again!

Just now, alwaysAMC said:

Oh haha - nevermind  That sounds like quite the story, finally giving Holly something to do again!

It's certainly something Maureen sinks her teeth into.

8 minutes ago, Ryanc2 said:

I haven’t got to see Cynthia Watros as Annie because Signy Coleman is now playing her in 99 and I assume that’s how they explain the “new face” aka plastic surgery to look like Teri. I have no issue with this actress or how she’s selling the role, in fact I think they’re all doing a great job including Josh/Reva. I just feel the storylines a bit silly, but hey it was the late 90’s. These kind of storylines were everywhere back then. 

That makes sense about Laura Wright/Cassie not being on screen much at this time. I haven’t spent enough time with her yet to decide if I like her though. I will typically root for the heroine if I like the actress so time will tell. 

There were rumors that around this period of time the show wanted to do a Josh/Cassie pairing, but Zimmer or fans or whoever did not care for the idea. There are several moments in this period and earlier in 1998 which drop big hints (I believe in this story Josh was drugged to have feelings for Carrie and then months earlier they'd bonded during yet another insane Reva crisis).

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

There were rumors that around this period of time the show wanted to do a Josh/Cassie pairing, but Zimmer or fans or whoever did not care for the idea. There are several moments in this period and earlier in 1998 which drop big hints (I believe in this story Josh was drugged to have feelings for Carrie and then months earlier they'd bonded during yet another insane Reva crisis).

Definitely Zimmer - she mentions at least twice in her book that she was against a Cassie/Josh pairing and even got into a fight with Robert Newman about it because he was ok with it.

14 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

MAYBE what possibly happened is they decided to give the story they would have given to Kyle to Alan instead. It could have just as easily been Kyle who dicked around with the DNA tests, who could have brought Sonni back and conspired with her to keep Reva and Josh apart. It saved them from a possible unsuccessful recast and they also saved money on another major character. 

(The irony is Bernau had to leave and they ended up with an unsuccessful recast with Pilon, but no one would have foreseen that).

I don't think there was anyone in the audience who wanted Reva and Alan together, while Reva and Kyle had a fanbase. But without Malloy, that could have changed. Which could be another reason why the decided not to bring Kyle back.

I never understood why they didn't do a Josh/Reva/Kyle triangle. Seemed like a no-brainer. But if Malloy wanted to leave, that  explains it.

My mom was the one watching the show more regularly than me at the time, so I could have been going on what she recounted to me. Memory is a funny thing!

 

One gets the impression Malloy wanted to be top banana, and wasn't interested Kyle being less than that. I guess he could also see the writing on the wall---without Billy in town (since I assume he also knew Jordan was leaving) Kyle didn't have an ally really. 

Given how much time and story they'd already invested in Kyle, the show was probably scrambling for story. Not to mention, they were going to have to cover KZ's pregnancy.

4 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

Definitely Zimmer - she mentions at least twice in her book that she was against a Cassie/Josh pairing and even got into a fight with Robert Newman about it because he was ok with it.

LOL...well, Reva had slept her way through Billy's family. Why would Josh hesitate to sleep with one measly sister? 

Amazed that this is currently listed as a hot thread. 

If only some exec would see that and order a GL revival...

3 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Amazed that this is currently listed as a hot thread. 

If only some exec would see that and order a GL revival...

From your lips to God's ears...