ATWT: December Discussion

[P.J.]

Thanks...I missed a lot of GL due to school.

I forget exactly how whacked Laura was---but I think she was abused by her father and killed him or something. Her brother Beau was played by Neil Maffin, and he dated Robin Morse's character Pam Dixon.

[DRW50]

The stories were back to back, so they're easily confused.

Did Pam or Beau have any exits? I had never heard of Pam when I started watching ATWT, it's like she never existed. It seemed to me when I watched the clip that Beau was sort of a Duke prototype, like they were seeing how viewers would react to a guy with long hair. When he was, I guess, generally popular, that gave them the green light for Duke.

Then later we got Mark Kasnoff and the horrors of the treehouse sex, and Diego, and I guess that put ATWT off long hair for good. Or perhaps the Fabio trend went away for good.

Here's a clip of Laura. This also has the gorgeous Barbara/Hal wedding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSju-vvDN58

[Quent]

OMG,it never hit me how much soaps have changed until I saw that clip. Did you SEE all those people at Barbara and Hal's first wedding? It looked like a REAL wedding! If that was done today, we'd be lucky to have five attendees.

[DRW50]

Yes. It's breathtaking. The location, the outfits, the moments between characters (like when Frannie talks about how she used to dance with Tom and he'd step on her feet, and at the end she tells Andy she can dance with him, and he can step on her feet), and my favorite part, the way they pan to the table of each family. I really miss the families on ATWT. The crazy part is they still have them but they don't use them.

[P.J.]

Man...I even miss stairs in Oakdale. Aaaahh...the Lakeview ballroom. Gorgeous. True story---seeing Hal and Babs on the cover of SOD in their wedding outfit was really the first time I was aware of soap mags.

Anyway--can't really remember if Pam and Beau got any kind of exit. Pam suffered from a very common syndrome at the time---LILY dominated the airtime in the ingenue department. She always had multiple boys chasing after her while anyone else got whoever was left over. Pam wasn't even on for that long---I remember she was a nursing student at the same time as the original Meg (Jennifer Ashe) was.

[DRW50]

Yes, I think poor Pam even dated Dusty while he was hung up on Lily. Then as soon as Lily learned Holden had lied to her, she went right to Dusty's bed, and Pam got cast out.

I always wonder what would have happened if Lily and Cricket from Y&R would have been in the same room around that time.

It's funny, because the first time I really paid attention to soap magazines was when ATWT went on their firing spree in 1995. I guess the soap magazines owe a lot to ATWT...

[P.J.]

^^^LOL...Lily/Cricket Death Match! Oh, the yards of hair that would have flown!

Sigh---missin' Ben Hendrickson...

Guess I should say something about today's eppy---kind of got sidetracked goin' down memory lane....

Even as a Carjacker, I didn't realize how much I missed the simple, everyday talks Carly and Jack used to have. Talk...not arguing, not yelling, not throwing accusations or ultimatums around. (and not while Craig or Jan lurked around, scowling at them in a corner) So today was a real treat in that department. To have them admit things to each other, treating each other as adults--OMG--I nearly melted when Jack said being at Milltown was the only place he felt normal and safe---sigh. Now it's just a baby step or two to him admitting it's Carly he feels at ease around. That would make my year.

And of course, floved the Carjack family moments.

Could have done without ASSHAT Craig---stomping into Carly's home, manhandling her, and then getting into a pissing match with Jack. Y'know--I think he gave up his right to bitch about Carly jilting him the moment he took her to that cabin, had sex with her and promised he'd "be there" for her and help her get sober. And if THAT wasn't it---SLEEPING WITH HER SISTER sure was. I freakin' HATE Craig.

I'm over Brad. I'm over the Ghost story. Over Henry talking/not talking to thin air, over Brad's "tricks". If all he's going to do is pester Henry, play tricks and worry about Katie spreadin' it for her ex (which, c'mon---is how this "romance" started, only that ex he was worried about was his brother Jack)...I've had enough, thanks.

Way too much Katie/Simon. Hated them then, hate them now. I wanna put Katie in some monochromatic outfit, burn her kooky multi-colored/multi-patterned mess and tell her to put some freakin' makeup on.

Just realized that Rosanna is pledging to love and "be a family" with Craig and Johnny the little tot who's switch was the reason Ro landed in a coma. Yeah, I know---you'd have thought I'd have put that together before this--but it really creeped me out when Ro brought it up today. And I so don't GAFF if Ro wants Carly's blessing/forgiveness/ attendance. Carly's right---Ro didn't GAFF about Carly's feelings when she was shakin' her funbags over Craig's geezerness.

Previews kind of bummed me out----really tired of seeing Jack/Janet. Want them Ov-ah.

[DRW50]

My DVD didn't tape today's show for some reason.

If they need an exit for Rosanna and Craig perhaps they should go look for Cabot.

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I remember this time frame for ATWT. I had that week on tape but I had lost it.

They had the original Hal/Barbara wedding going,Margo in Greece and the Laura reveal going on.

If I remember correctly this was during a writer's strike. I remember reading that Douglas Marland was livid.

The scab writers took months of story projection that he left behind and went through it in a few weeks time.

I don't remember how Beau left. Lisa had made a club for young people in the basement of Mona Lisa called "The Cellar." Beau sang and played his guitar there.

I remember Laura remembering being abused by her father and breaking down:

"He called me Lo-Lo!"

Good stuff,even during a writer's strike!

[Meldus]

Still not feeling the show but trying to hang in there!

Why in the world was Teri crying today? It's just a chef job at Metro, please it's not all of that. I hate how Teri is portrayed. First Uncle Ralph pays for her education, Craig pays for a place for her to live and gives her a job at Metro and now Dusty becomes part-owner of Metro to save her job. Does this girl do anything for herself?? I really don't see the purpose of her character and a pairing with Dusty just isn't working. GM and VR come off more as friends/brother & sister than anything else.

Nice Carjack scenes, I hope the writers don't ruin their reunion like they have almost every other couple.

Interesting that Molly came back to hang out with Holden and play detective. Well at least Molly is back and making Holden a tad bit interesting.

"Mad Meg" is the best move that tiic have made in months. Too bad Lily is still being an idiot.

Luke is actually much more tolerable without Noah.

[DRW50]

What were some of the stories they came up with that he wasn't involved in? Did they do that storyline about a bitter Vietnamese guy kidnapping Lien?

[P.J.]

No, I think that story was played out a little later. Lien wasn't introduced until '88. It was her high school history teacher who was a VietNam vet, I believe. He wasn't Vietnamese, he resented those of Vietnamese desent.

[DRW50]

I think the writers' strike was 1988.

I've only seen a few scenes of the story in clips. I just remember a story where she had been taken and was being held by the guy who went on to play Jack's son Keemo on Y&R. He was bitter because he'd had a bad life and felt like she had sold out, living with a white family. That may have involved the teacher too, though, as I've only seen a bit of it.

The other main story then was Meg and Josh having a secret affair and Betsy, who was dating Josh, finding out. There was a very good scene where Betsy taunts him about "Cousin Meg" and when he won't let her go, asks if he's going to rape her like he raped Iva. Betsy was immediately remorseful, but it did tap into that issue I had, no matter how good an actor William Finchter was, about rooting for Josh as a romantic leading man after what he did to Iva.

This was also the time Angel showed up. I thought Marland had planned her from the start, so he may not have had a problem with that.

The story which seems most ridiculous to me is Spence the mystery guy with an agenda showing up at the stables and getting close to Lily. That must have been a scab story, as it's very thin, although Robert Tyler sans shirt almost made up for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uSftpfNJE8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-XT__Xjl0

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I don't watch ATWT like I used to but I did see most of Friday's show.I think I could really get back in to it if I'd put my mind to it.

Why is Luke so happy that Lily is marrying Damian? I know he is his bio-dad but he used to be loyal to Holden because he raised him.

I like this version of Meg. She used to be oe of my least favorites. Since I don't like this version of Lily I was hoping for a real catfight in the dress shop.

Dusty is still Oakdale's knight in shining armour for the Oakdale ladies. Who didn't know he would buy Metro?

Loved seeing Carly.I hope Craig doesn't scare her back to the bottle.

I still don't like Janet.

[P.J.]

Yeah, I think the strike was in '88 too. I don't even remember that Lien story. The teacher story involved Andy and Paul who were in school at the same time.

Yeah, that was one huge misstep for Marland, and no matter how much time and backstory he devoted to it, it still rankled a lot of people. It's funny, I didn't like Frost as Betsy, but I love her in other things. I still can't watch Fitchner without feeling slimey. Same goes for James Rebhorn, who played rapist Bradley Rains on GL.

This was also the time Angel showed up. I thought Marland had planned her from the start, so he may not have had a problem with that.

Oh, Spence the nutcase stable hand HAD to be a strike story. Funny that he went on to LOVING, opposite Noelle Beck.

The story I know got screwed over by the writers' strike was GL's Sonni/Solita mystery. Oy...that still makes my head hurt.