@victoria foxton Thanks. I'm working my way through week six (early April 1990) and I have to say things are gelling a bit better. The main stories remain Anny's pregnancy, the deconstruction of the Cox family, and the building tension within the Pressfield household over Chris' growing friendship with his new stepmother, Pamela. 

After being visited by a truancy officer at Toppers', Anny makes the decision to return home and try to talk things out with her parents. The confrontation between Anny, Matt, and her parents, Carl and Sophie, is fairly strong for the show. Anny proves to be as stubborn as her father, Carl, and remains determined to keep her baby and raise the child as a single mother even if she is only fifteen years old. As the conversation builds, Carl's motives become increasingly clear until he flat out states the obvious; he doesn't want to get stuck with Anny's kid the way he got stuck with his sister Bobbie's. Matt, the said child the Kubiaks were stuck with, warns his aunt and uncle that they run the risk of not only losing their daughter, but also their grandchild. The acting isn't always the strongest, and sometimes the dialogue can be a bit clunky, but the situation is well crafted. 

In reference to @danfling's point regarding the "Ryan's Hope" connection, the Kubiaks are a working class ethnic family, seemingly second and third generation, that contrast the upper middle class white collar Cox clan and the well off, but not untouchable, Pressfield family. Carl can be Johnny Ryan-lite at times. Anny is definitely a young woman in the mold of a Ryan girl; she wants to study law. Bobbie Kubiak is definitely a less complex Delia with Matt filling the role of the abandoned John Reid. After deciding not to have an abortion, Anny informs Lorraine, and the audience, that she wants to be a supreme court judge one day. Timing is everything.  

As a follow up, Anny plans to leave town by bus in order to escape her tryannical father, but soon learns you can't go far on thirty bucks. Before she can depart, Sophie and Carl show up at Lorraine's apartment, where Anny has been staying, and makes amends offering her the opportunity to return home and attend the local school which caters to the needs of teenage moms. As a further olive branch, Sophie (a seamstress) has brought a dress for Anny to wear to the Father-Daughter Dinner that evening. 

The Father-Daughter Dinner is shown. Despite this being an opportunity for stories to intersect, sadly it doesn't occur. The show  has a limited number of female characters. Carl and Anny's arrival is one of the final moments of the episode, but we never have to see any of the actual fallout. There are moments of snickering, but there is no opportunity for Carl to defend his daughter or for Anny to react to returning to the school environment. 

Also at the Father-Daughter Dinner are Stacey and Melinda Cox with their dad Ian. This is the first family get together since an aborted dinner several episodes earlier where a process server arrived to deliver Virginia divorce papers. The lead up to the dinner is a ride for the Cox girls. Stacey is adamant she won't go, and Virginia has to coax her into going by refusing to let her use the car. Stacey ends up squirming out of the original plan (Stacey and Melinda going together with a dress prepared by Sophie Kubiak) and instead jets off leaving Melinda in a lurch. At the dinnner at Westdale High, Stacey arrives late wearing a provocative outfit (her shoulders are exposed, oh the horror!) Stacey goads Ian into an argument and only becomes further hurt when she realizes Ian doesn't want Stacey to make a scene because of his business connections. Stacey's rebellion continues to be a thread as Virginia Cox arrives next day for a PTA meeting to discuss dress code only to find Stacey wearing yet another provocative outfit. In the second time in this show's short run, a mother refers to their daughter as a tramp (Sophie Kubiak said something similiar to Anny upon learning she was pregnant). Later, Mr. Stevens, the science teacher, also confronts Stacey about her sullen attitude. 

While Stacey attempts to lash out, Melinda seeks solace from Billy, her boyfriend, who in a beautifully awkward moment tells Billy he cannot know what its like to lose the heart of his family a year after his mother's death. It is a tender moment for the couple, but its only a piece of the larger triangle developing now that Melinda has begun spending time with Billy's best friend, Matt Kubiak. When Matt Kubiak arrives to drop off Stacey's dress, Melinda hitches a ride with her knight in shining armor. While Melinda is at the dinner, Matt and Billy work on mounting a picture of Melinda and Billy. Later, when Melinda stops by Matt's place, it isn't clear whether she has come to see Matt or Billy as she is aware both of them are at Matt's. The two friends, one girl trope is rarely used anymore so I appreciate it. 

The final thread that is getting attention is the growing tension between Billy and Chris Pressfield over Chris' decision to try and build a relationship with their new stepmother, Pamela. Billy has finally convinced Chris to join him, Pete, and some young woman to attend a showing of "Rocky Horror" only for Chris to accept an invitation to go see an exhibit with Pamela at the museum. Billy, of course, flips when he learns that Chris is abandoning him for Pamela. Later, there is a nice scene between Bill and Billy about Chris' social isolation and how neither of them real understand him. Chris is much more sensitive and reserved than either his father or brother, which has also deflated Bill's plans to turn Chris into a salesman. Billy's latest plan to get Chris out of his shell is to throw a party at the Pressfield house to bring people to Chris.  Later, Billy blows a gasket when he spots Pamela and Chris sitting in a booth at Topper's, but Pamela pushes a reluctant Chris to accept Billy's offer of planning the party. 

It's by no means a perfect show, but it has a lot more depth than I initially expected it would. 

On 6/25/2022 at 11:04 AM, dc11786 said:

I know this is an incredibly old comment, but I wanted to compliment you @SFK for foreseeing this. Besides "Swans Crossing" and "Fifteen" being available, 2/3 of "Tribes" is on YouTube. Out of 90 episodes that were aired, 68 are currently available. 

When Louise Shaffer was interviewed by Alan Locher, she revealed she was on the writing staff of a show headed by Mary Ryan Munisteri that was abruptly cancelled when Pinkerton guards came into the studio to remove everyone when production was halted and no one informed the cast, the writers, or the crew. Shaffer was referring to "Tribes." I think this resolves the issue of 95 episodes vs 90 episodes that has come up over the years. Since the show wasn't filmed in order, it is likely there were 5 uncompleted episodes that had been filmed at the time of the show's abrupt cancellation. Also, because of the suddeness of its conclusion, scripts were written through at least episode 107 per copyright information availble. I thought I had once found copyrights through episode 112 or 113 but I can only find through 107 now.

I've begun a rewatch of what's available. I usually don't get passed the 20s. @slick jones I'll post any new information I come across. Just off the bat, Nick Benedict's character Earl was not only a gambling creditor, he was Pete Sego's abusive dad. Not sure if his name is also Sego, but I'll let you know. Also, Ana Arthur's Dinah character was Pete's older sister who was married and came back to town around the time Pete was dealing with legal issues stemming from raping Stacey Cox.

Something I appreciate about "Tribes" is the show is basically a traditional soap opera but told through the perspective of the younger characters. I'm in the middle of week two and lots of the drama results from the characters' family ties. Anny Kubiak, honor student and potentially the first person in her family to go to college, gets pregnant and passes out at the school dance. Anny's father Carl, a working class man, knows that Anny is hiding something. When she does reveal the truth, Carl is more upset that Anny thinks that he might hate her than being mad about her being pregnant (even though he is clearly not pleased). The tension then builds between Anny and Carl about who will handle the pregnancy and how. Melinda Cox seems to sense that there is something going on at home because her dad missed her mother's birthday and all his clothes have been removed from his bedroom closet. When her boyfriend Billy tries to make a move, Melinda blows up at him. The women in Matt Kubiak's life that are causing him the most grief are his mother, Bobbie, who he hasn't seen in years, and his cousin Anny, who he feels he needs to protect. Darryl Johnson, who helps his friends steal their trignometry test, gets berated by his father Gordon for his behavior with Gordon going on how Darryl will be judged harsher because he is African American while Darryl brushes off race. 

Mostly, I find the show enjoyable given the fact that it doesn't shy away from the heavier issues. It was rather somber to listen to waitress and aspiring fashion designer Lorraine Delaney explain to pregnant teen Anny that she (Lorraine) had had an abortion several years prior with both women discussing the need to make the decision that was right for them given yesterday's ruling. 

 

I just watched the final episodes that were uploaded onto Youtube (episodes 86 to 90).. and unless the uploader mislabeled the episodes, I do think there 95 episodes for the entire series and not 90 episodes.

Reason I say that is because I was a child when the show was on originally and I was home watching it in the summer, and I remember there were a week of episodes that aired in the Chicago area after the 90th episode before it was canceled.

I think those episodes had to do with JoJo and his trying to impress a new girl.. and Stacy/Daryl still on the run.

@Soaplovers Interesting to hear about a possible additional week. The Chicago Tribune lists "Tribes" airing at 5pm until Friday, July 6, on Channel 32. On Monday, July 9, "Mr. Belvedere" has taken over that spot.  

The Los Angeles Times states the show's last episode would be on July 13 on their local Channel 11, but the newspaper listings for that station drop Tribes in mid-June. 

It's also possible the final 5 aired in even less markets. I am not sure. I know "The Catlins" is listed as airing a week longer than it is listed in the soap books than it does in the newspaper TV listings. 

 

Looking back through this thread, I am surprised I didn't post anything post week 6. I know I wrote stuff, but I must not have posted it. Or I posted parts in the "Loving" thread in comparison to Mary Ryan Muniteri's run whihc was about a year after "Tribes."

One of the big shockers for me in the post-week 6 episodes was a "Tea and Sympathy" plot where Big Bill Pressfield, local entrepeneur with a younger trophy wife, suspects his artsy son Chris might be gay. It features a hilariously bad episode teaser where Billy overreacts (on purpose) to the news that his brother is gay. It all leads to Chris bedding down with Carol Delaney (Janice Heiden, weeks before she'd pop up on GH as the spa owner who blackmailed Monica over the affair with Ned). In the available online episodes, there is no connection made between the Delaney clan and Lorraine Delaney. I believe Lorraine leaves just as the other Delaneys are introduced or just before. THis all happens around week 14 when they start to make the major adjustments. 

With the missing episodes, I don't know the fate of Pamela Pressfield. She just seems to disappear around episode 65 or shortly before. I think she was originally tapped to be the Carol Delaney part as there was lots of Pamela / Chris material. Kerry Remsen was the daughter of the casting director so I think when it was clear she was a nepo hire, they dumped the character. 

Stacey Cox's story remains the most impressive with her lying about Mr. Stevens, the friendly science teacher, sleeping wtih her before admitting to someone (I think her sister Melinda) that she was lying. This results in Stacey becoming a pariah and being targeted by Pete, who rapes her in the Cox's living room. The rape story is powerful. Stacey starts calling Darryl at the hotline and attempts suicide before they run off together. Pete seems to genuinely believe that Stacey wanted to sleep with him, which is a bit off putting but also slightly intriguing. Pete's story is very layered. It turns out he has been lying about his identity to fit in with the more elite kids. His father is a scummy con. The rape case brings his father and sister into the story. Earl's reaction to the rape allegation is he was surprised that Pete was even interested in women. There are moments where this could have been very compelling. 

The Melinda / Billy / Matt story was angsty. I didn't like the stretch where Jojo locked Matt and Melinda in a boiler room. That was dumb. Also, the addition of Frankie, Michelle Stafford's runaway character, seems like a Tina replacement. The band story was light and fluffy, but Scott Garrison has a decent enough voice for a daytime show that his singing wasn't distracting. I like that Bobbie was back, but I just think there was a missed moment by not having Bobbie back for more of Anny's pregnancy. 

Jojo and Laura were an intriguing possibility, but I didn't think they could carry the show for long.

 

6 hours ago, dc11786 said:

Looking back through this thread, I am surprised I didn't post anything post week 6. I know I wrote stuff, but I must not have posted it. Or I posted parts in the "Loving" thread in comparison to Mary Ryan Muniteri's run whihc was about a year after "Tribes."

One of the big shockers for me in the post-week 6 episodes was a "Tea and Sympathy" plot where Big Bill Pressfield, local entrepeneur with a younger trophy wife, suspects his artsy son Chris might be gay. It features a hilariously bad episode teaser where Billy overreacts (on purpose) to the news that his brother is gay. It all leads to Chris bedding down with Carol Delaney (Janice Heiden, weeks before she'd pop up on GH as the spa owner who blackmailed Monica over the affair with Ned). In the available online episodes, there is no connection made between the Delaney clan and Lorraine Delaney. I believe Lorraine leaves just as the other Delaneys are introduced or just before. THis all happens around week 14 when they start to make the major adjustments. 

With the missing episodes, I don't know the fate of Pamela Pressfield. She just seems to disappear around episode 65 or shortly before. I think she was originally tapped to be the Carol Delaney part as there was lots of Pamela / Chris material. Kerry Remsen was the daughter of the casting director so I think when it was clear she was a nepo hire, they dumped the character. 

Stacey Cox's story remains the most impressive with her lying about Mr. Stevens, the friendly science teacher, sleeping wtih her before admitting to someone (I think her sister Melinda) that she was lying. This results in Stacey becoming a pariah and being targeted by Pete, who rapes her in the Cox's living room. The rape story is powerful. Stacey starts calling Darryl at the hotline and attempts suicide before they run off together. Pete seems to genuinely believe that Stacey wanted to sleep with him, which is a bit off putting but also slightly intriguing. Pete's story is very layered. It turns out he has been lying about his identity to fit in with the more elite kids. His father is a scummy con. The rape case brings his father and sister into the story. Earl's reaction to the rape allegation is he was surprised that Pete was even interested in women. There are moments where this could have been very compelling. 

The Melinda / Billy / Matt story was angsty. I didn't like the stretch where Jojo locked Matt and Melinda in a boiler room. That was dumb. Also, the addition of Frankie, Michelle Stafford's runaway character, seems like a Tina replacement. The band story was light and fluffy, but Scott Garrison has a decent enough voice for a daytime show that his singing wasn't distracting. I like that Bobbie was back, but I just think there was a missed moment by not having Bobbie back for more of Anny's pregnancy. 

Jojo and Laura were an intriguing possibility, but I didn't think they could carry the show for long.

 

It also appears as though the premiere of Tribes was pushed back five or six weeks from the 2nd part of January 1990 until the first week of March 1990 according to an LA Times article.   

The creator Leah Laiman lamented on that sudden change of premiere date because they wouldn't be able to make changes/corrections quickly because they would have too many of the episodes already filmed and in the can by the time the show debuted. 

It does explain why the last twenty to twenty five episodes of Tribes had a marked improvement and focused on the characters/stories that were making an impression on the viewers.   Stacey Cox was the breakout character of the soap and I have a feeling had the show not been canceled suddenly that her character would have eventually become the lead character over her onscreen sister (the classic ingenure caught between two guys).

The last five episodes shown/available on Youtube (episode 86 to 90) was heavily focused on the rape storyline involving Pete Sago and Stacey Cox.  What made this story interesting was the fact that both characters had past history of lying.

In fact, the lawyer discussion of having Pete's older sister take over guardianship was to ensure that his lies about being being a wealthy kid wouldn't be exposed in court.. while Stacey's past lies were coming back to haunt her and her on the run story with Daryl had definite summer teen possibilities.

According to Michelle Stafford in an old interview, she had mentioned the story planned for her involve her getting involved with Melinda's ex Billy.   The seeds were planted in earlier episodes where her character Frankie had made moves on Matt, which made Melinda jealous.  So it made sense that Billy and Frankie would have interacted once the whole counterfeit money story arc had resolved.

I remember being a child and watching the show.  The story I remember most was the Mrs Robinson story between Chris and the older woman played by Janice Lynde.  From looking at the Youtube channel, I remember seeing episode 64 when she removed her dress and stood in front of Chris.   Episode 65 had a parental guidance advisory at the start of the episode, so my mom hit record on the VCR so it taped.  After it taped, she watched the episode and I guess the two got hot and heavy in the episode so my mom wouldn't let me watch it.

In these current times, that story was pushing the envelope since the character of Chris was under 18 and she was over 40 so I was surprised that the story was being done.. but seemed to quickly end without anyone really finding out about the two... I don't think.

 

On 4/6/2025 at 6:09 PM, Soaplovers said:

It also appears as though the premiere of Tribes was pushed back five or six weeks from the 2nd part of January 1990 until the first week of March 1990 according to an LA Times article.   

The creator Leah Laiman lamented on that sudden change of premiere date because they wouldn't be able to make changes/corrections quickly because they would have too many of the episodes already filmed and in the can by the time the show debuted. 

It does explain why the last twenty to twenty five episodes of Tribes had a marked improvement and focused on the characters/stories that were making an impression on the viewers.   Stacey Cox was the breakout character of the soap and I have a feeling had the show not been canceled suddenly that her character would have eventually become the lead character over her onscreen sister (the classic ingenure caught between two guys).

The last five episodes shown/available on Youtube (episode 86 to 90) was heavily focused on the rape storyline involving Pete Sago and Stacey Cox.  What made this story interesting was the fact that both characters had past history of lying.

In fact, the lawyer discussion of having Pete's older sister take over guardianship was to ensure that his lies about being being a wealthy kid wouldn't be exposed in court.. while Stacey's past lies were coming back to haunt her and her on the run story with Daryl had definite summer teen possibilities.

According to Michelle Stafford in an old interview, she had mentioned the story planned for her involve her getting involved with Melinda's ex Billy.   The seeds were planted in earlier episodes where her character Frankie had made moves on Matt, which made Melinda jealous.  So it made sense that Billy and Frankie would have interacted once the whole counterfeit money story arc had resolved.

I remember being a child and watching the show.  The story I remember most was the Mrs Robinson story between Chris and the older woman played by Janice Lynde.  From looking at the Youtube channel, I remember seeing episode 64 when she removed her dress and stood in front of Chris.   Episode 65 had a parental guidance advisory at the start of the episode, so my mom hit record on the VCR so it taped.  After it taped, she watched the episode and I guess the two got hot and heavy in the episode so my mom wouldn't let me watch it.

In these current times, that story was pushing the envelope since the character of Chris was under 18 and she was over 40 so I was surprised that the story was being done.. but seemed to quickly end without anyone really finding out about the two... I don't think.

Kim Valentine's Stacey is the most intriguing character. It's a shame she didn't last longer as Dawn Winthrop, but GH's loss was Tribes gain. I thought the destruction of the parents marriage was typical soap fodder, but allowing the emotional fallout to be mostly about how the two daughters reacted was such an interesting point of view. Stacey's descent from decent young woman to emotionally fragile and self destructive was one of the better done character arcs. 

Frankie felt like a replacement for Tina, Jojo's original girlfriend. Similar style and similar function in the story. I don't think the two friends fighting over the same girl story is always the strongest, but it's a trope I really like. Scott Garrison was good at brooding, Greg Watkins had charm despite being green, and Lisa Lawrence often lacked presence. I felt Lawrence did better with Garrison.    

The Carol / Chris story is odd for a number of reasons. I suspect the original plan was for Lorriane to be Carol's daughter, as they had the same last name. Lorraine was the most isolated of the younger contract set so I see why she was dumped. There also seemed to be a bt of build in the Chris / Pamela relationship that made me think that this also may have been an original direction. I think that Ryan Munisteri and Jones might have been testing the waters for a gay storyline because of the "Tea and Sympathy" elements. 

I appreciated that they expanded Pete's family toward the end. I have to wonder what the plans were for Dinah as she was on contract. I think there had to be more going on than just the trial.