Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Soaplovers]

I think it was the beginning of the end. Had San Cristobel been a short term locale used then it wouldn't have been so bad..but it was featured for almost two years.

Plus the Santos family.never got integrated with the rest of the show either.

[NothinButAttitude]

Well I am in the minority as I LOVED San Cristobal and the Santos clan. Danny and Michellle {JBL version} were my couple, and I liked Tony and Marah too {minus Marah begging Tony to rape her. I want to forget that altogether}. Pilar, Father Ray, or Carmen didn't bother me either. Were they used heavily? Yes. But I can't complain b/c the Santos clan did provide story for the Bauers, who were practically neglected up to that point.

[katie_9918]

The Santoses gave the Bauers NO story. Michelle ceased being a Bauer and Rick and Meta were basically irrelevant, that was all. Unless of course Meta and Abby were brought out to sing Danny's praises and Rick was somehow unreasonable because he was concerned about his sister being married to a violent criminal from a family of professional violent criminals.

The only good thing about that Santos mediocrity was the Jesse and Drew coupling.

Tony was a disgusting piece of garbage.

I liked Father Ray and that was about it.

The less said about San Cristobel, other than the tortured relationship between Richard and Edmund, the better. Yet another showcase for REVA and CASSIE to be worshipped.

[DRW50]

There was a little story for Rick (mostly objecting to Danny/Michelle), but not much.

I actually thought the first year or so of San Cristobel was entertaining enough. Yes, it was cheesy and out of place, but Bradley Cole and Laura Wright had starcrossed chemistry (they never had any as Jeffrey and Cassie, oddly enough), and I enjoyed Edmund's scheming and smirking. It was only after the wedding that I started to lose interest.

B&E's GL increasingly lost steam, and began to insult my intelligence (I was especially annoyed with Buzz being able to change paternity tests), but the show was watchable enough until they left and the Labines and Rauch (who clearly didn't get on) were in charge. The show immediately developed backbreaking tonal issues, with cringeworthy attempts at comedy intercut with cringeworthy, 1985-sitcom-esque attempts at social commentary, and drama that was far too serious and violent for the show, especially since they didn't treat it seriously enough. The whole "Tony roughs up Selena" story is one I'll never get. And they just about ruined Edmund for me.

[katie_9918]

I actually think the Labines could have worked out, or some combination of them and maybe Taggert, with a more supportive, better EP.

I disliked but tolerated the Santoses until they involved Bert's house in a thuggy mob shootout. After then, I wanted them all gone and would have considered Bauer-no-longer Michelle a necessary loss if it got rid of her in-laws (except Father Ray).

[DRW50]

I don't think the Labines were suited to GL. I wish they'd taken the ATWT job they were offered around that time. As soon as they started writing Blake like Lucy Coe I had to take a big step back.

They had some good ideas, and Rauch did, most likely, actively sabotage them, but it just didn't work for me.

GL was a bizarre hybrid of a show. I don't know who could have managed it. I didn't care that much for Taggart either but she or Jill Lorie Hurst may have come closest.

[NothinButAttitude]

I didn't like them shooting up Bert's house but I just didn't find the Santos clan to be that bad. And I do believe that they provided the Bauers with story. Yes, Rick didn't get much story but it was a hell of a lot more than what he got in later regimes. I liked Rick stepping into the "big brother" role and speaking out against Danny. It was refreshing because he was one of the few doing it despite my love for Danny. Should Rick had gotten more? Yes. But again, it was more than what he'd get in later regimes.

And I do think that the Labines would've fit more with ATWT. But I'm wondering what they would've done with a character like Lucinda. She's the one character I'm trying to figure out how they'd write for her. I could see them having a field day with characters like Kim, Bob, Lisa, Nancy, Barbara, and especially Emma.

[DRW50]

I mostly thought Carmen and Danny worked - Danny wasn't much of a character, but PAS had chemistry with Joie Lenz and had intensity and sincerity in equal measures. He was a real find, which is likely the reason they beefed up his role so quickly. The real problems for Danny began when they cast that dead fish Nancy St. Alban.

Carmen was annoying in too large of doses, but she was a good camp villainess.

Claire's return should have provided tons of story for the whole Bauer family, and did for a few months...then it stopped.

[YRBB]

Quick thanks for the responses, everyone! Seems you're all alone in this, NBA.

I definitely need to explore GUIDING LIGHT more but wasn't sure if those 2000 episodes were a good era to sample. lol

Edited January 20, 2015 by YRBB

[NothinButAttitude]

Yes! Danny had so much intensity with JBL's Michelle. That's the MANNY I loved. I didn't care for NSA's Michelle. I agree that she was dead fish. I always wanted them to recast the role. Especially with that whole Edmund baby switch crap. That really killed Michelle for me. I did though I love when Danny was going legit. I wish they would've explored it more and really took them there.

But Carl, who do think would've been a suitable Michelle recast?

And yes, Carmen was bad in big doses. They had her too involved in too many stories when they should've just stuck to making her torment the likes of Michelle and Marah. I didn't need Abuela Santos coming on and doing the same to Marah with Catalina. Carmen had already fulfilled that role.

Claire's return was crap. Why didn't they stick to tossing her back into Rick or Ed's orbit? Have her pursue either man? Or make her Chief of Staff and lord her position over them? Claire could've offered so much more.

[katie_9918]

I preferred Catalina/Tony and Marah/Sam.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that Tony was a thug from day one who never should have been paired with anyone unless she truly changed him for the better, which spoiled entitled Marah never did.

One of the worst and most debasing conversations I ever witnessed on GL (and I have no desire to go looking for it on YT for a possible link) was Michelle and Marah discussing being "Santos women."

Horrifying and disgusting, that a Bauer and a Lewis would be so debased.

[NothinButAttitude]

To each his/her own. I actually enjoyed Marah and Tony. Catalina and Sam were bores.

I'm sorry but I didn't find the Santos men to be that repulsing. Did Tony have moments that made me side eye him? Yep. But I blame writing. He had good qualities about him.

I loved that he was a hothead, passionate but like Danny, aspired to do better. And I never questioned his love for Marah because he did love her [and vice versa].

[DRW50]

I had no strong investment in the characters. I think with better writing Tony could have been more of an asset to the show, because I thought Jordi Vilasuso was a decent actor with strong charisma. I'll never understand why they had him try to rape Marah. The whole thing was disgustingly handled.

[DRW50]

I'm not sure. If they were aging the character up, someone like Jennifer Hammon (the first Karen on PC) might have been OK.

The whole custody battle under Taggart made me hate Michelle for good. I'm not sure why Taggart thought having two separate custody battles where most of the people involved behaved horribly was a good idea. And when she went out with Bill, they seemed like a middle-aged couple from 1952, not the kids I used to love when Miner and Buffinton were in the roles.

On paper seeing Michelle, Ben, and Bill together again should have been great. Instead...it was just people I didn't know, with familiar names.

(I do think Taggart did a decent job with Ben)

Edited January 20, 2015 by DRW50

[John]

Claire Labine was offered ATWT after GH but before OLTL but she was developing her own shows and decided not to do ATWT