Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

 

As Mitch posted, they were from Chicago. As was Ross. They came to Springfield to merge Chamberlain Corp with Spaulding. Other than Alan and Ross, I'd imagine they were introduced. I haven't really seen anything that suggests otherwise. Vanessa doesn't seem to have any college friends in town (as Trish was introduced). You'd think she might know Justin and Jackie, since she dated Ross,but I haven't seen/read anything suggesting that. Henry knows about a connection between Lucille and Brandon, but Lucille doesn't seem to know Henry.

[P.J.]

I can't argue that Vanessa wouldn't have been justified in steering clear of Billy. He is extra sensitive to feeling betrayed by her. But the heart wants...

I have wondered if Marland would've gone back to Vanessa/Ross after Carrie (assuming he could've written her split personality the way he wanted to.) 

Edited October 25, 2024 by P.J.

[Mitch64]

So there was a Chamberline Corp? I would think this would have given Van enough incentive to take on the Spauldings then sitting at Lewis Oil, obsessing over Peter, taking back a big drunk like Billy, or sighing over Matt. After Van comes "back from the dead"instead of wanting a midlife baby with her bore of a husband...she should have gone back to Spaulding and tangled with Amanda and Annie ( I would have loved to see Van's icy reactions to Annie's historonics and threats...)

[P.J.]

Yes. And I swear I heard in a convo between Henry and Vanessa that it had been Vanessa's plan to merge with Spaulding and then take it over. 

They really do dial back "business Vanessa" after Alan fires her in early '83. She actually does get back into Spaulding after Henry's heart attack in August, and Alan leaves her in charge while he's off on a trip, but he's set her up for failure, which she manages to avoid with help from Quint and her secretary Lance. It's after Alan proposes (and she winds up marrying Billy) that she leaves Spaulding.

And after Alexandra arrives, it's always the Spauldings struggling over Spaulding Enterprises. 

I agree--it would've been nice to see Vanessa school the Spauldings, but somewhere along the line, the Chamberlains became more like a Greek chorus to the battles than players.

Edited October 26, 2024 by P.J.

[Mitch64]

During that stupid time that Van is sighing her way to death in Switzerland, (complete with Sound of Music Nuns signing in the background...)when Roger found out she was alive and tells her his intentions (which were always vague...marry Amanda and take over Spaulding...okay) was the perfect time for her to get her business groove back on....especially when Rog tells her that Amanda is Brandon's daughter. That would have pissed her off enough to make sure her family's future is set, and knowing that placid Maaaatttttttt has no brains..she uses her computer (instead of a dumb poetry chat room) to buy up stock and make it look like Roger or someone else is making a move on Spaulding, (maybe even anonymously spilling the beans on Amanda (Roger thinking she is dying admits to Van its all a scam...) to Holly so  it hits the press and stocks drop allowing her to gobble more up know they will return..when she returns she sees Alan being dragged by the nose by his trophy girlfriend and Amanda and Phillip fighting for power so she comes in and scoops it all  out...(Alan can eventually threaten insider trading charges to Van to recover what he can..) Matt freaks out at this new woman and they split up (I would eventually have her and Ross be end game...NOT with Billy.)

[P.J.]

I'm all in on ANY scenario that ends Van's relationship with BoyToy.

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[DRW50]

I get why people would not want Vanessa and Billy together, but I just thought that Maeve and Jordan had such wonderful chemistry. I don't think Maeve ever had that same type of rapport with her other leading men - it's not that she didn't have chemistry with them, but there was always something special to me in her scenes with Billy.

[P.J.]

Oh, me too! Maeve and Jordan's chem literally jumps off the screen to me. And they had it from their first scene. As Henry says at one point "they were born to fight". I think it's because they aren't overly sappy that I adore them so. 

Aside from Ross, (which is a lot of backstory) Vanessa's early romances are plot devices and short term. I also adore her chem with JvD, because you could always feel the history between Ross and Van with them. 

At some point, I just wanted Vanessa to be happy, and imo both Billy and Ross fit better with her. Billy's my number 1, but Ross was a close second.

Edited October 27, 2024 by P.J.

[P.J.]

There are times I forget how deliciously Chris Bernau played Alan. He's never cartoonish, even when Alan is clearly twirling his mustache.

[Mitch64]

I just think post hating Reva, and Clark's return...Billy is written as way too buffoonish...something that Van would have avoided..when Billy is first intro..and he has a lust/hate thing with Reva and is clearly in contrast to SF's elites at that time, he is really good and you can see Van being attracted against her will to him. But when the push up the good ole boy, Reva Supporting guy, it falls apart. I also think after they got married Van turned into a wimp which took all the zest out of them...(I could see them  as GL's Alan and Monica...loving each other but fighting and bickering to the end...) and really since that time Van was overly soft with him. 

[P.J.]

I get annoyed by Reva-supporting Billy too. After the dirty she did him, really only marrying him to stay close to Josh, coming to town to chisel him for more money ugh...they never should've gotten along. NEVER. 

But, y'know...Reva's just being Reva. RME. 

I do firmly believe that in '89, the show kept their options open, and was seriously considering going Vanessa/Ross. In fact, I think in 89-90 a Ross/Vanessa/Billy triangle would've been a lot more compelling for Ross than the Ross/Holly thing. I really never understood why Ross perpetually got the fuzzy end of the lollipop in the romance department from Carrie to Blake.

Now that I think about it, I'm a little surprised that (back in '83) they didn't try Ross/Hope. It would've been a lot more natural for Alan to blow a gasket over his ex-wife being romanced his rival (who Philip was growing closer to) than losing Trish to Ross.

Edited October 28, 2024 by P.J.

[Mitch64]

I do have to say that would have made the most sense...I know that she had her fans, but I think at the end the Hope actress really did not have that much chemistry or romantic heroine vibes anymore. I do think that when Alan came back that they should have had recast Hope with Ross...(I would have had her come back to SF for Bert's funeral...and inherit Grandma's house and Ross is her lawyer...) would have been more interesting then Ross with...Calla and stuck in the Jesse/Simon orbit.  A Alan/Hope/Ross/Vanessa (who also would be hedging her bets with Alan would have been so much more interesting then what we got.

[Soaplovers]

Ross being saddled with Calla in 1986 seemed almost like a demotion...sort of like how Nurse Katie got saddled with bumbling Louise in 1984 as her version of a demotion.

Regarding Hope...I think she was written off too quickly at the end of 1983..when she could have been effective as a pawn used by Alexandra in an effort at revenge against Alan...and would have been an interesting element of conflict between Mike and Alexandra.  I would have written Hope off at the end of 1984 instead of at the end of 1983..imho.

Vanessa and Ross settled into a nice friendship with affection.  Blake was jealous of it in the 90s...and instead of Ben Warren...maybe a Ross/Vanessa/Matt/Blake thing could have been focused on...with Dinah focused on creating trouble so her real parents could reunite.

 

[Mitch64]

I always thought it should have been Matt and Blake who slept together and he should have been the baby daddy (no twins please...) Amanda should have been manipulating Blake into once again feeling vulnerable when Ross and Van put their heads together about Dinah (I would have them exclude both of their partners as they both couldn't stand her...) knowing full well Blake is going to be Blake and screw up...and Matt should have felt the same way and over his head with his sophisticated rich wife. I actually would have had Van not wanting to get married to Matt and fine with the arrangement as is, not wanting to complicate things (can one soap character not want to rush to the altar for once...) 

So much to use and it wasn't. 

[chrisml]

Was the Calla/Jesse really that bad? I've liked both actresses in other rules, so it's hard to believe that they were terrible in their roles. Was it just the stories they were given?