ATWT: October Discussion

[P.J.]

Yep...I gotta agree, Judi worked it today. As stupid as this story's been, she's been one of the few saving graces in it.

Awww...Jack misses Holden. Now...if I could only believe they'll have more than two scenes together before the end of the year....

[soapfan770]

So when does

come back? I thought we might have gotten to see her today but we did not...

[Soapsuds]

I love Judi Evans. I loved her ever since she played Beth on GL. I just wish she'd lose some weight and fix that hair of hers. I haven't like her look since she was on GL.

Jack missing Holden was funny. They arent really that close. We'll they dont bond...LOL. You'd think Jack would say he misses Carly. He cares more for her than Holden.

doesn't return until November.

[P.J.]

I cringed for Judi when Jack hauled out that fuzzy "surveillance" pic of her....yikes...'tho no one would really look good in that. I'm sure those extensions either come out on a nightly basis, or got chopped the minute her shooting was complete.

Historically, Jack and Holden have been close. I don't object to it being brought up in the story. Although I rolled my eyes at Jack's speech at Holden's latest funeral---'cause they haven't been close in years, and certainly not since the Carly/Holden affair.

Jack's not allowed to miss Carly---yet. I don't think he doesn't---I think it's something he's not allowed to express since he's "happily" married. I don't even think Craig's said he misses Carly---he's too busy boinking her sister. It's like TIIC banned anyone from even discussing Carly during this maternity leave.

[Actor87]

They will mention her soon, P.J.

I love Judi Evans, but she doesn't play the role of disheveled white trash wife very well IMO. I'm hoping she goes back to DAYS after her stint wraps. She's mentioned wanting to go back, and I believe an actor is at their best when they're happy where they are.

Ron, what does JE losing weight have to do with anything? And that hair isn't even hers; what is hers is obviously teased to hell and back...and the fake extensions are obviously fake.

[Chris B]

I think Judi's weight is fine right now. She looks younger than she did on DAYS, but their lighting and makeup is so bad it may have made her look older. I think right now her god awful weave looks a hot mess. I also think she has chemistry with Holden and is doing a good job with the character. She's still trailer trash, but very different from Bonnie. She feels real and has more vulnerability. I wouldn't mind her coming to Oakdale and becoming a real character. I'd like Audrey, Maddie and Maeve to stick around actually.

Today's episode was good but I'm not loving Brad right now. I think he'd want Liberty to have an abortion regardless of what she wanted. He just lucked out for a while when she was leaning towards that option. I think he's more ashamed that his daughter is having sex and cares more about how people will feel about her having a baby at her age. Honestly, Janet's plan to adopt the baby isn't outrageous or really that uncommon. It's a better solution than giving it up for adoption. What if she wants to be involved in the baby's life later? Of course in soapland Paul and Emily can adopt the baby and it'll be possible, but in real life it might not be so easy to locate her baby. Overall I do think they've crafted an interesting story here that at least is getting some reaction out of me. My interest is building, not declining like some other storys (like Audrey/Henry).

Craig and Rosanna continue to bore me and I worry for Carly because I love her and don't want her in the most boring story on Y&R.

[Actor87]

^^You meant ATWT?

I don't know about the whole "Audrey sticking around" thing; I think she's worn out her welcome already.

Brad shouldn't care. It's in his character not to care. Him preaching to Liberty and Janet is pretty ironic since he never had to raise a child. He just flucked Janet and left. He doesn't have the first idea what they're going through. Just because he and Katie are having a baby doesn't mean anything. They'd been trying to have one, but Liberty wasn't.

[Chris B]

Oh I feel so ashamed for confusing Y&R and ATWT! Right now ATWT is doing far too much right to be compared to that shitfest.

Opinions seem to be mixed, but I like Audrey and I think in the right story she has something positive to bring to the show. I actually see no Lucy Coe in her and think Lynn Herring has done a good job with the new role. I think she's made Henry and Vienna interesting again and could be a great foil for Barbara. Hell, maybe the troubled Tom and Margo could use a spoiler which would be something totally new. Just keep her away from Not!Craig and fight the temptation to recreate past glories which never works.

[P.J.]

And I flove that Brad's sticking up for Libby. I think it's pretty clear Libby doesn't want to be a mother right now, and she's only been roped into the adoption to appease Janet. Slowly and surely, Jan's reasoning's being revealed---she's looking at the situation through her experience, and offering Libby the type of support she'd wished she'd gotten from her parents. The flaw in that is that Libby isn't her. And Jan's experience has shaped Libby---she's harped on that kid from the minute she blew into town about how she didn't want Libby to end up pregnant, dropping out and waitressing like her. Libby wasn't given the coping skills to think that she could succeed if she had a child. Teri put it beautifully---Liberty doesn't want it "all".

Well, sure...but I think I know why...

No doubt there'll be a lot of "anguished" discussions about what to do about Carly, now that they're fu cking around behind her back.

Did I mention I think Ro and Craig are rutting pigs today? *snort* RED slutty dress included. (seriously, I didn't know Rosanna knew there were colors outside black, white and beige.) And I can't tell you how much I hate Cady McClain trying to act aloof, sticking her nose up in the air and fluttering her eyelashes.

[Actor87]

So far, they've had very few scenes together. Not much of a GH/ABC soap'er, but I thought Pinson/Lindstrom and Herring/Shriner(ex-Keith) were the paired couples. It was rumored when JL first came on that they were going to reunite Pinson and Lindstrom, but it never happened.

I'm not so sure, though, how it's possible for Lindstrom to have any romantic chemistry with anyone.

P.J.--Forgot to comment on the Holden/Jack comment. I hate that their closeness has been irreparably foiled, thanks to the 4 week long Holden/Carly fling. (I'm sure the writers can write their closeness back into the script, but the audience will never buy it unless it's written correctly.) One thing that I have always loved and admired is the Snyder family's closeness. Everyone in that family looks out for one another and has the others' best interests in mind. They might not always agree on things and they might have their tiffs, but in the end, they stick together. But now, I feel like the Snyder clan is slowly disintegrating before my very eyes. Not only the Holden and Jack bond being damaged, but Meg's bratty obsession with men, Holden's repeated marital problems, etc.

I also fear Austin Peck's stint ruined the character of Brad Snyder. From what I can tell (reading and such), Brad was never meant to be a meat and potatoes good guy. He was always the slick one that got past everyone's radars...charming and seductive, yet slimy. However, all that changed when Peck came on board. Suddenly, Brad's the prime candidate for Oakdale's Goofy Adorable Hunk award. (That's the number one thing I hate about soaps; changing a character to fit the actor, instead of the actor changing to fit the character. Once a character is written a certain way, it's hard to see them any different. You end up confusing the audience---if I recall, that's one of Marland's rules.)

[DRW50]

I don't know if Jack and Brad were that close when the other Brads were in the role. Brad took the blame for killing their father, and Jack hated him, I think. I don't remember. I just remember weird Valerie Perrine. Then Brad blackmailed Carly into marriage, which meant more confrontations with Jack, who was still in love with Carly.

The only Brad I ever thought really worked was the first one.

[Actor87]

Okay...forgive me. I got sentences crossed. I meant to say how much I missed Holden and Jack being close, but then I got into this tirade against Brad. I don't know what I was smokin. I fixed it, though.

[DRW50]

That's OK. The Snyder men are all fairly bland these days. I miss the old Caleb (the first one). He always had fire. Sad about his personal problems.

To go to what was said on the last page, Audrey doesn't remind me of Lucy either. I think she's added some fresh energy and I like her feud with Barbara. I won't be upset if she leaves but she does add her own sort of flair to Oakdale, even if she's relatively isolated as a character.

[P.J.]

Brad and Jack were close as children. Even after they got past the "you didn't kill dad" stuff, then they went at it (sort of) over Carly. (it was never a direct competition, but Jack technically cheated with his brother's wife...LOL) But the Brad-go-round (in '99) ruined any dynamic they had, and recasting Peck as Jack's younger brother was an entire head-scratching reboot of their relationship. If you started watching sometime after Loprieno's exit and Peck's arrival, you wouldn't have a clue where their hostility started. I'm not even sure you'd realize Carly and Brad were married briefly; that Brad and Ro jetted off together after having victory sex and taking away Parker's trust fund from Carly; or that Katie and Brad were in town at the same time when that all went down.

No, Brad was never a "meat and potatoes guy"...but I don't think he is now. I still think he's unconventional at heart. OriginalBrad was kind of laid back, but direct. Peck is hyper-in-your-face direct and more slacker-ish. "Clown" describes it perfectly...unfortunately. ICAM--while I warmed briefly to Brad, I don't think the writers ever knew exactly what to do with him. They seemed reluctant to portray him and Jack as brothers, they certainly didn't know what to do with "happyBratie" after their marriage. They couldn't have possibly intended to hook up Carly and Brad---they're not that stupid. So I'm not really sure what the point of rewriting all of Brad and Jack's history ever was. I'm not sure Peck ruined the character---I just don't think there was much of a plan for him past throwing a wrench in the Jack/Katie "romance" (which also would have been a lot better off in the scrap heap than on-screen....IMO, LOL)

Re: Holden/Jack...I agree---I think there needs to be a concerted effort to repair that relationship, post Holden/Carly. They never really addressed it between them, other than a few awkward moments at Aaron's wedding. How TIIC managed to muck that up, failing to give us the dramatic impact of such a betrayal is indicitive of the scattered writing of the past few years. Jack didn't have to be jealous over Carly to feel betrayed by Holden. Although I'm so thankful we never got the rumored Jack/Lily revenge hook-up, I kind of shoved my quibbles in a drawer and forgot about it.

[DRW50]

I had forgotten about Brad and Rosanna being together. I try to forget about some of Yvonne Perry's Rosanna run, although by then at least they stopped pretending Rosanna was a sweetheart.