Wisner Washam interview

[EricMontreal22]

I didn't even remember that Tim was still there by 1997. LOL

I admit I loved 1997, but I know the general fan reaction online was it was too dark, and maybe you're right. We had some lighter moments--like Kelsey and Kevin's friendship, etc, but yeah...

I can't even remember what happened in 2005/2006 for sure (Oh wait that was the unabortion and Greg in the coffin, wasn't it...)-- but I still say Passanate's year is the worse--with Rayfield's half year up there...

[EricMontreal22]

LOL What? I don't remember a ghost Maria at all, let alone one who took care of her nails.... Do tell lol

[EricMontreal22]

I dunno, but I think if it had ended with that thanksgiving scene it woulda been too pat an ending for such a massive issue. I thought the Kevin stuff was great--and much more subtle than the "Mr D" stuff a year before (though I did largely like that).

There was just so much else going on which I think took too much of a toll, with the last straw perhaps being Jim Thomasen tormenting Laura. I don't think AMC is a show which can sustain that type of darkness, and some of the darkness that year, while not as collectively dark as McTavish's years of hell, I thought were much more...I don't know how to say it...invasive, and harrowing, and hard to get out of your head, than McTavish's psychos and overdone crap.

That was one of the reasons I was somewhat relieved when McTavish returned

McTavish did seem to, at first, want to make things more fun, which was probably a smart movie. Of course I think ratings just sunk even more under her (understandably so...) (funny that she made Jim Thomasen into one of those psychos as you mention).

[You're Soaking in it]

I think DePriest moved over to OLTL from AMC pretty quickly, but I'm not sure if she was HW right away. She may have initially been AHW under Schnessel... but I'm just surmising. There was so much change-over between Schnessel and Malone, I'm surprised it's even in order (and it does seem to be). I think DePriest was HW longer than two months, as well... but not too much longer. She was demoted to AHW after Leah Laiman showed up, so her name still would have been there - just not as HW.

[EricMontreal22]

The fact that they'd demote her under a hack like Leah Laiman is shocking to me (sorry, I have absolutely no love for Laiman) though I admit I'm not quite sure whose was what writing in that era either. The writing in general was pretty awful, it seems. (it's interesting, when Rauch came to OLTL he was hiored, apparently, to bring his realism and style he had with AW in the 70s to the show--but Rauch had other plans, wanting to do what GH was doing but on an even grander scale. After Schnessel's writing finally started to cause the ratings to drop, I guess Rauch briefly tried to go back to social issues and more "realistic" writing--for the most part--but for a variety of reasons it didn't really work...)

At any rate, it does seem that for a brief time ABC had DePriest as their kinda "soap doctor", for whatever reason.

[EricMontreal22]

Me too--it was like they suddenly tried to take her out of Erica's orbit (with Del, Anton, etc) when there still was a lot more story there. I used to always take the SMG stuff with a grain of salt, but after hearing how she behaved the last little while on Buffy, I believe a lot more of it. It's too bad as I loved her on AMC (and on Buffy, of course).

Well said--and that's why I often stick up for McTavish, even though I don't think I'm blind to the awfulness she has done. (I do disagree with the yes woman/man thing, though, I think there's a reason she got along with Frons, with JFP, etc, and that's why, though I do get what you're saying about her wanting to be in control). But anyway, that's why I do--because frankly much of her time has given me my happiest years as a soap opera fanatic--like 1992/1993 (I know Nixon was HW when Janet in the well happened but wasn't that credited to McTavish? I remember it being pimped when they were talking about her success in a SOD article).

Confused--you mean from 2007 till now? Or back in the 90s? CUz as much of a mess as lots of that recent era was, I admit I don't see all that much JER influence...

[DRW50]

When Jim Thomasen kidnapped Edmund (as Edmund had dirt on him) and chained him in a viaduct, Eva LaRue returned for a day or two as an image of Maria appeared to help Edmund keep focused and alive. She would file her nails once or twice and talk to him about Maddie and Sam and her love for him and so on.

He was hanging out with "Oyster Cracker", played by Chip from Kate & Allie (who went on to traumatize many 80s sitcom fans further with his stint on Oz), and he hit the roof when he realized Janet and Trevor were dating. I think I had it wrong though, I think he locked himself in a deep freeze and framed Janet for it.

The Dillon stories, as iffy as some of them were, helped me enjoy AMC in some of those lean years. It's never been entirely the same for me since that awful awful exit the family was given a few years later (not to mention what McTavish did to them when she returned in 2003).

[EricMontreal22]

The Dhillons were really the last example I think we had of a fairly normal, relatable, middle class family unit on the show--something the show used to have in spades (it's funny to call any family with Janet in it normal...) I was never a HUGE fan but I did miss them when they left (though that's not McT's fault, she seemed to like to write for them--I'm still not sure why Nixon and Passanante wrote them out--that was the whole Candy Cane killer story right? I always forget the details).

I don't remember anyone on AMC ever being called Oyster Cracker lol but I do remember Tim framing Janet, now--and I completely remember the Edmund thing (though I still don't remember her filing her fingers, LOL)

Thanks

[Jonathan]

I hated the Dillons. I just couldn't accept that Trevor would fall in love with Janet. It was preposterous.

[DRW50]

They were already phasing the family out anyway. Poor Tim was gone, Trevor and Janet were barely there. James Kiberd left because he refused to take what he saw as an insulting pay cut. I have always wondered if they lowballed so he'd leave.

The story was that an old ex con friend of Janet's was blackmailing her and she refused to take money from anyone (she had one clumsy scene with Erica over this) and then she went nuts and beat Sophie with a candy cane. Then the woman died in a fire at a warehouse and Trevor was blamed and went on the run. Arlene wore a wire to find the real killer and we got a rushed last scene which amounted to, "Hey, Trevor is on the phone. He's not going back to Pine Valley because it's too much for him but he's somewhere else, and so is Tim! Let's go!"

Stories like this were why I couldn't really get behind the whole "AMC is back!" stuff around that time.

I didn't see it as any more ridiculous than Trevor going from crazy mercenary to cuddly Uncle Porkchop

I always had doubts about them as a couple but for me it was worth it to keep such good actors and interesting characters on the canvas, who had ties to so many people. I also thought there was such potential for Tim and Amanda, both played by very good young actors. Considering the other stories going on in that timeframe I thought there were places for them to go.

Now I guess the only one left is Amanda, who was turned to nothing by Pratt anyway.

[EricMontreal22]

Arlene was involved in the story? I don't remember that at all So Trevor was never cleared on the show? I remember the ex con clearly--at Xmas Janet kept seeing her everywhere...

[DRW50]

After Trevor went on the run (the last time viewers saw Kiberd), they teased a story where Janet was talking to Mirror Janet and going nuts. This was abruptly dropped, as Robin was fired, I believe. Arlene was back in town by this time and she wore a wire to flirt with the man who had actually killed Sophie. He was busted, and Trevor was cleared. Then Janet, who was still clearly very shaky mentally, had the phone call and left for a "happy" ending with Trevor, Tim, and Amanda. Of course even the return of her instability didn't make me think Janet would go on to kill Trevor, but I guess I didn't have enough of an imagination.

[quartermainefan]

I wish there were clips around of the first Trevor. He was so different, I bet most people don't even remember Good Old Trevor was actually a recast. The original didn't last too long, he was the guy that I think was trying to kill Jeremy or working with Marisa, I forget what the story was.

[SFK]

There is a clip of JK's Trevor (with tan and ponytail) fighting with Jeremy, I think Eric or Carl put it up a few months back. Help me out guys.

[DRW50]

I can see he was probably different, but even early Kiberd is scary!