Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Khan]

I agree. That isn't to say I would have objected to the idea of Buzz and Nola pairing up. But I don't think the writers took all the necessary steps to get me to root for that particular couple.

[edgeofnik]

The Jenna/Buzz story was incredibly unbelievable. I just failed to see the attraction there at all. It seemed like the perfect example of where JD is an "actor" so he could pull off being a leading man with anyone. Sorry, but FH/Jenna seemed like she should have been in the Spaulding mix. (Like all the jewelry heists at the beginning and even the Roger stuff made more sense than Buzz.) Plus, I always thought Nadine/Buzz made a much better couple.

Edited June 1, 2013 by edgeofnik

[~bl~]

I understood it on one level, as they were both thieves/con artists so they appreciated each other for their craft. When Jenna lost Roger's baby, Buzz was there for her so I felt she was indebted. That said once the whole Nadine/Buzz/Jenna triangle was in full force I thought that was odd. I actually wanted Jenna with Josh, but maybe that was just me.

[DRW50]

I didn't know she interacted with Josh.

I agree that Buzz worked best with Nadine.

[~bl~]

Jenna and Josh interacted for an extremely short time (it may have been less than five shows) right before Fiona left GL in 1994, the character was very pregnant at the time with Henry Cooper Bradshaw. It was the first time since Robert Newman was back on GL, that I saw him spark with an actress and she was out the door. I was very disappointed that no one had thought of having them interacting earlier as Josh and Tangie didn't work, and both Josh and Jenna loved and supported Vanessa.

[Mitch]

They were chemistry testing Josh and Jenna...and they were hot..(Its hard not to have chemistry with Newman, uh, oh yea, sorry Marcy Walker...there's the door..) and then she left. Never got the Jenna/Buzz as great loves thing..I can see a short thing with him but not anything longer then that, but of course, we were knee deep in 5th street at that time..I remember the endless Jenna and the what, face cream bullshit...gah...that made Peapack look stimulating.)

Never understood any of the women of GL going after that Troll Buzz...all I could see is that JFP made him the end all and be all of GL so everyone else after didnt think it was weird that Jenna would return to him, Reva would beg him for sex???Nola would go nuts over him..and poor Lillian, who had to go 20 years celibate..would have to kiss him as he openly chewed gum.

[Soaplovers]

I remember they chemistry tested Josh/Jenna at some road-house that Tangie was working at. I seem to recall Jenna was getting trashed after Buzz/Nadine got back together and before she found out she was pregnant. Vanessa and Eve had a heart to heart, and of course, after all the players left the bar.. Alan entered and met Tangie.

It seemed like 1994 was a transition year of sorts. It was as if the show was throwing things at a wall to see what stuck. I like to think that the writers were throwing darts and where ever the darts landed, that was what they went with. How else could you explain Tangie/Alan/Alan Michael, Nadine/Buzz/Jenna, even Nick/Mindy getting back together. Although I did like Eve/Ed getting together.. even though Eve was no Maureen, she seemed good natured once she got help.

For me, the last good year of GL consistently was 1997. You had Josh/Reva/Annie going on, you had Blake/Ross, you had Holly/Fletcher acting like journalists at every event with Roger trying to get back with Holly as he was romancing Amanda to stick it to Alan.

You also had the community feel during that time with building the dream house that Matt/Vanessa reunited in, Dinah/Hart were good.. and early Cassie was bitchy and snarky.

It's hard to believe that 1998 was such a horrid year, and from the same writing/EP team. I always thought that B & E were great at turning around shows around, just not good at staying at said shows once they turned them around.

They did wonders for Loving's last year and GL during their first year of writing.. but anything further always seemed to go downhill.

It makes me think that some head-writers are great at turnarounds, others are good at keeping the ball rolling but not getting the ball rolling, some are just great writers all around, and others are just not good writers period.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

They went through several HW's during the 94-96 era and three EP's (JFP, Laibson, and Rauch), very quick transitions too.

Edited June 4, 2013 by Y&RWorldTurner

[DRW50]

1994 was also when they tried Cutter/Mindy, Cutter/Tangie, etc. but they seemed afraid of taking the risk of not having a "name" character with these women. It's too bad.

93-95 was when GL seemed to be in constant transition, similar to AW for much of the 80s. Never a good thing for a soap.

Someone who uploads GL starting from around 1993 or 1994 is up to summer 1995, which is when I was sort of watching the show again, with some mixed feelings, after being in and out in 93 and 94. Anyway, this is the start of the much-loathed Reva's ghost storyline. I'm still amazed that someone thought this was a good idea.

This was also close to Mindy's exit from the show. I remember thinking she and Rick worked together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18m-sP9TJRw

[Khan]

Re: Ghost Reva -- I can't remember, but was JFP still EP when this story began? I've heard someone say that JFP always resisted bringing back Reva, because she felt GUIDING LIGHT had become an entirely different show in KZ's absence.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think the Reva ghost story started at VERY END (like last 2 weeks) of JFP's reign, before she was switched to AW. Most of the execution was done by Laibson.

[DRW50]

Kim Zimmer said this. She said that, I think, JFP told her that the show didn't have a place for Reva (this was in 1994). Then of course they called and asked her to join a while later.

I felt, then and now, that there was a place for Reva on GL with the proper writing. Unfortunately the show rarely knew how to do this. I thought they only got the balance right a few times in her second run. I actually thought they had a good place for her again in the last year or so of the show, even with the pointless baby story.

[Soaplovers]

I think when Reva first came back in 1995, that she didn't hog the show.. that she was part of an ensemble.. but I think after the Josh/Annie/Reva story kicked into high gear in 1997, with the climax causing the ratings to shoot up for a few weeks (I think it went up to like #4 during the final week of the story).. the show tried other story climaxes for the rest of 1997 (i.e. Vanessa/Matt reuniting, Abby's attack then her shooting her attacker in court after he is found not guilty and he mouths a threat to her, etc).. and the ratings didn't shoot up.

So I think the show felt that Josh/Reva were the reason for the ratings increase thus in 1998.. they started to dominate the show. What I don't think the show realized was that the story itself was so good that the ratings went up.. not because of Josh/Reva themselves. 1997 was a balanced year.. but 1998 became more Reva, which only got worse in 1999 and thereafter. I think the final year or so started to balance the show again.. but it was too late.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I didn't think 1997 was all that balanced, though I loved her, it felt like Cynthia Watros was on every day that year (and frankly, carried the show and that story on her own).

Though, 1997 definitely felt like a shot in the arm given the boring mess the show was from 94-96, for the most part.

Edited June 5, 2013 by Y&RWorldTurner

[Soaplovers]

In comparison to 1998 and thereafter... 1997 was more balanced but you are right that Annie was a big focus of 1997.. though other stories were kind of going on.

I think the show should have learned their lesson when Cynthia W jumped ship at the start of 1998.. but the show focused even more on Josh/Reva after she left.