Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Well just because she's EP doesn't mean she knows that show's history TBH. That's the problem with 99% of EPs on soaps nowadays. But again, I never got the impression that she knew the show's history. For instance, her favorite heroine--Marina. She slapped Marina in not one but TWO pairings that totally went against her history. Marina with Alan Michael, who was once believed to be her father, and Mallet, who was her godfather. Wheeler [and Kreizman] were adamant in selling these pairings despite fan protest. For me, that killed Marina as a character for me. But this is a problem that could've easily been solved had Wheeler not greenlit the story and Kreizman researched Marina, Mallet, and AM's history more. A simple trip to SC's character profiles or visiting various boards could've solved that.

Furthermore, I didn't expect a Bert mention as the Bauers were nothing towards the end. Poor Rick was basically a joke by the end of the show's run, and the Coopers [along with the Shayne/Lewises & Spauldings] were the show's central family. Like they had Lillian go visit Maureen to ask for forgiveness, they could've had Ed stop by the grave at the same time to go and visit his mother [bert], Papa Bauer, Hilary, Maureen [too], Leslie, and all the other deceased Bauers.

[amybrickwallace]

I wish there would have been at least a flashback of the earliest days on the show with the Bauer family. They owed the fans - especially those who had been watching for decades - that much.

[antmunoz]

They reunited Ed and Holly. They didn't have to do that. For that alone, I will be forever grateful.

[NothinButAttitude]

I agree. They should've given us flashbacks and all with the Bauers. IMO, the Bauers deserved a better ending altogether. It was thrown together if you ask me.

They deserved to be heavily featured in the final episodes. Hell, the last final months. Peter Simon [Ed] and Maureen Garrett [Holly] should've been brought back when the cancellation was announced and given an arc all the way till September. We should've seen Ed and Holly court one final time and put their demons to bed. Ed should've came to terms with the Maureen/Lillian affair. Holly should've had an actual farewell to Roger. Rick and Blake should've been involved in this.

And I am still pissed that the final scene of the show was Josh and Reva. Um no. I love Josh and Reva but they should not have been the show's final scene. It should've been Ed & Holly.

I would've preferred for the ending to have been Ed and Holly finally coming together after a long talk and some trepidation [this whole scene taking place in the Bauer kitchen]. After getting over their trepidation of pursing anything, Ed surprisingly proposes to Holly. Holly is a little wary but quickly accepts. Holly and Ed eagerly kiss then comment on the LONG road it took to them getting to this point--the people they've met, loved, and lost. Then have a cute flashback of the show's rich history. Then have Ed mention about being home back in his family's house with his kids, grandkids, and new fiancé; how he loves being back in the house where his mom his mom once cooked in; at the end of the day, if he made it inside to warmth, light, and Bert's cooking, he knew that all was well. She was the Guiding Light.

In this instance, Ed would come full circle and take his place as the patriarch of his family and accept that he must do the same for his grandchildren. He must become the Guiding Light ... with Holly joining him. He extends his hand and smiles at Holly. She smiles back, takes his hand, flicks the kitchen light off, and heads upstairs. We then pan out the Bauer kitchen window to see a shot of the lighthouse and the light beam turning in the night sky. Fade to black. That should've been the ending we received.

I didn't give a f*ck about Reva and Josh hopping in some crappy pickup and riding into the sunset. I was not impressed. At least ATWT gave me the spinning globe [and a nice 'swan song--' the fabulous theme from Prince of Tides] that caused me to have an emotional breakdown. Same with AW. They gave us a montage of the rich history with the picture frames of characters from over the show's 35 year history, and Rachel uttering "all's well that ends well" before heading upstairs with Carl.

That sh*tty reunion. OK.... If you're satisfied. I for one was not impressed. It was thrown together and I felt bad for Peter Simon and Maureen Garrett. Two high caliber actors being brought back for a thrown together ending.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Nothin'ButAttitude

[amybrickwallace]

Yeah, they could have ended the episode with a flashback to Bert and Papa Bauer, thus bringing it full circle.

[DRW50]

For me the spinning globe was almost a slap in the face. Goutman went out of his way to not honor the show's past or history in the final year, instead continuing on with new, mostly poor storylines. Then he got a dollar store globe and had Bob put it on a desk.

I didn't love GL ending with Josh and Reva either, but at least they did go out of their way to bring back a ton of people and let us see them one last time. ATWT didn't even bother.

[amybrickwallace]

That's true - and didn't ATWT have more time than GL did to wrap things up? They had no excuse for not bringing past cast members back. Julianne Moore did make an appearance, but I don't know if that was before or after the cancellation notice had come.

[NothinButAttitude]

I agree about Goutman not bringing back fan faves and disrespecting fans in return, but the final scene was good IMO. At least they ended with a Bob, a legacy character and scion of Chris and Nancy. We got to see him come full circle and move into the next stage of life. Yes, the globe could've been better but I don't expect that much production wise when they barely had enough to pay rent for a studio space.

After. Julianne was on The View the day the announcement was made and she expressed she was saddened and would love to come back.

[zanereed]

Didn't Rick mention Bert in a tribute toast when he married Mindy? Or am I thinking of his toast at what was the final Bauer BBQ?

[robbwolff]

The cancellation was announced around December 2009, so Goutman and Passanante had 9 months to wrap up ATWT.

The cancellation was announced around December 2009, so Goutman and Passanante had 9 months to wrap up ATWT.

[robbwolff]

It was probably during the BBQ. Rick and Mindy never actually married before the show went dark. The weddings during the final week were Buzz and Lillian and Vanessa and Billy. Plus Remy and what's her name got hitched again on the final episode.

[zanereed]

Yep, you are definitely right. There must have been too many weddings that week for my mind to process!

Here's the clip I was thinking of, definitely from the last Bauer BBQ:

http://youtu.be/DxjKMv8YEW4?t=1m50s

[Mitch]

Rick mentioned Bert in his toast for the last BBQ. It was nice, so someone...(I would think it was the woman who was head writing at the time)remembered history.

Rick mentioned Bert in his toast for the last BBQ. It was nice, so someone...(I would think it was the woman who was head writing at the time)remembered history.

[cassadine1991]

Weren't there more than one HW during GL's last year

[robbwolff]

There were four -- Jill Lorie Hurst, David Kriezman, Christopher Whitesell, and Lucky Gold. But consensus was that Hurst was in charge.