Jump to content

As The World Turns Discussion Thread


edgeofnik

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 17.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • DRW50

    2971

  • DramatistDreamer

    1958

  • Soapsuds

    1716

  • P.J.

    823

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

Lee Bryant also played Lyla Montgomery briefly in the 80s.

 

 

I agree. She writes stories that have that "around the hearth" feel that so many P&G soaps were known for. 

Somehow though, soaps had the mistaken impression that they had to throw out pretty much all that they were known for (which was also the same element that made them successful and beloved) for something entirely different.

Edited by DramatistDreamer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Wow...don't remember this guy at all. My guess would be that Tad's backstory was tweaked, and that guy didn't look like the high roller Tad was supposed to be.

 

Frost may not have been as "beloved" in the role of Betsy, but it wasn't because of her acting ability. I've loved her in her work since then. The only thing I really disliked about Betsy during that time was her relationship with Josh/Rod---and that had zero to do with her and everything to do with excusing a rapist and forcing everyone around Iva to make her accept him back into her life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've stated this before but the entire Josh reformed man situation never sat right with me. It was as if everyone should overlook his rape of Iva because it was 'in the past', meanwhile Iva was left to 'deal with it' and struggle in silence.  On the one hand, it was interesting to see a show like ATWT deal with a character who had committed such a repulsive act in a way that doesn't isolate him or kill him off in the way that soaps traditionally did but as much as Marland may have believed the writing was sensitive to Iva's plight (and later, it was), at that time, it seemed to be written more from Josh's perspective, to make him look more sympathetic.

 

I thought Frost was really good in that role and Betsy was made to defend Josh in a way that looking back now, annoys me but the biggest problem that Betsy had at the time that Frost happened to be playing the role was the lack of romantic chemistry with most of her male counterparts. I don't blame that on Frost, I liked her as Betsy. I think the character was kind of in a romantic slump for most of her run. The writing wasn't really there for her.

ATWT had a lot of talent and many stories to choose to focus on and unfortunately some characters got lost in the shuffle and I believe that Betsy was one of those characters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I think the Josh character was an example of Marland retooling the character because he liked the portrayer so much. Fitchner's not exactly my cup of tea, but he acted his ass off in the role. Still, even with the intensive weight put on showing Josh "dealing with" his past, that the entire story sent a dangerous message about rape that was surprising coming from Marland.

 

Other than Josh, I can't even think of a serious relationship Frost had in the role. Runyeon left not long after she started, Bryce wasn't an option. She probably did get lost in the shuffle, somewhat. Part of it was probably also just the reluctance of the audience to move past Steve and Betsy in general.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Just say it PJ. He is not attractive...LOL.  I agree he wasn't a hot actor but he was a great actor. His career has gone way past his ATWT time. He now appears on Mom....LOL. And he is pretty good at doing comedy too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

But that just makes me sound vain and shallow....lol  

Please register in order to view this content

   I meant more along the lines of he's always playing the "guy with an edge", and never anything I've seen him has an ounce of relatability. And for a while there, it seemed he was everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

She was also involved with Seth. 

 

One of the main problems was all her love interests were, like her, very serious. It's actually bizarre to realize her goofiest love interest was Josh, a rapist and child abuse victim. 

 

I think Marland had all these ideas of Lily's father and the conflict this would cause with Iva - it would also be the catalyst to reveal the secret everyone in Lily's had gone to great pains to keep to themselves. And then of course there was more story with Lily accepting him, which meant everyone else did as time passed. It could have been a more generic tale if not for the affair with Meg, which was lots of drama and passion that I'm not sure was originally going to be there without the chemistry between Finchtner and Jennifer Ashe. It's pretty explosive stuff for Marland's ATWT (I sometimes wonder how much of that was pushed further by the strike). It ended up being what defined Josh, even though it was mostly just in his last 5-6 months on the show. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

There was definitely a time when Margo, who angrily assumed that Tom and Barbara had had a one night stand, leaned on Hal. At first it seemed as if she was on the path to using Hal to get over Tom but even before it was revealed that Barbara lied and staged the "affair", Margo decided that she was still in love with Tom and decided to forgive him for the one night stand that they mistakenly thought he had. At this particular time, it appeared that Margo cared for Hal while Hal's feelings for Margo seemed more intense.

 

When Tom left and didn't return from D.C. (i.e. when Marx left the role), it seems clear that Marland decided to revisit Margo and Hal and intensify those feelings on both sides.

 

I agree that had Marx stayed in the role, there would be no need to revisit Hal and Margo. Most likely the conflict between Tom and Margo would've remained the miscarriage fallout and perhaps Tom working long hours as D.A. and Margo working long hours with Hal on the Stenbeck case, with awkward interactions between all three (given their history). Maybe there might've been a hint of closer bonds between Margo and Hal as Margo put distance between herself and Tom immediately after the miscarriage, which might have caused more friction between Tom and Hal regarding overstepped boundaries but I suspect Marland might have sent Margo and Tom to couples therapy (he was big into therapy and analysis) and they would've worked it out.

Had Marx stayed, I seriously doubt Marland would've written Margo and Hal having and affair, let alone a baby together (it wouldn't have been believeable), given the heat that HBS and GM had together (sexual orientation, be damned!).  

Marland must've known that Marx was leaving when he started to write the Margo/Hal affair. 

 

I do wonder whether Marland always intended for Tom to be recast? I know that the strike interfered with many things so the TL gets confused a little.

Edited by DramatistDreamer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

I doubt it. Gregg was only in the role for two years and while HBS and Gregg had a lot more chemistry than she ever had with Scott Holmes, there was a ton of buildup to explain why Margo would stray (she thought he'd cheated on her, the miscarriage, his frequent absences, etc.). And Hal was her best friend, and Hendrickson always played the role very sympathetically and believably, which was one of the reasons he'd risen from bit player status in the first place. 

 

I don't think there was any big backlash, although I do wonder if people thought the whole running away thing was odd or silly (although they may have just said, "That's Margo for you" since the show didn't really take Margo completely away from her "kooky" persona until Ellen Dolan became so horribly dour). Of course it was mostly a device for HBS' maternity leave and her very nearly leaving the show, but it is somewhat odd to watch onscreen. 

Edited by DRW50
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

God...seriously? SETH? I don't remember that at all.

 

I'm sure Marland played the beats of the story---and I'm sure he loved writing big, meaty, angsty stuff for Lisa Brown. It just continually skeeved me out, and giving Josh and Meg their HEA, with Iva forced to be a bridesmaid at their wedding was beyond the pale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • It's been a while, but we have seen the foyer to Bill and Hayley's house as well as the exterior entrance to their house. The foyer was first seen in the premiere episode when Hayley met Vanessa at the house.
    • There's still a year or two before Larkin arrives. Joel is there already. EON does noticeably youthify, although I think they carry it off. Admittedly I haven't seen most of the Jodie stories, which from what people here have said aren't great.
    • I don't mind the actor who plays Brian. He's fine. The problem for me is that Paige seems so wishy wishy. She doesn't seem to have much of a personality at this point so I don't see why Brian would be so besotted with her. She just lurches from one trauma to the next. Granted, it's only been a month, but she's not as vibrant as April or even Deborah who has had minimal screen time by this point.  I do worry about the influence of GH on the show since I'm in fall of 1979 and characters have conversations and there's not the drive to "youthify" the show. However, I think Marceau (sp?) is gone. He was given a rather tame sendoff. How long was the actor on the show? I hope this is not a sign of things to come. I worry the show is setting up a murder mystery around one of my favorite characters and I will be mightily annoyed. I also noticed in recent Search for Tomorrow episodes uploaded to YT that the actors playing Logan and Eliot showed up. I don't watch the show but they were in the screencaps. When does Larkin Malloy show up or has he already left? Joel Crothers hasn't shown up either unless I've blinked and missed him.
    • Dr Linden. She treated Vanessa's drug addiction (although Vanessa seemed to forget that by Henry's suicide attempt) , and she's mentioned during Reva's PPD. Although I can't recall if she's actually shown right off the top of my head. She probably was temporarily shelved when Sonni was a therapist (between her crazy times) And I think Billy sees her after he falls off the wagon after Reva's death.
    • Kinda agree. I have some issues with the sets. Nicole's living room is bland-looks like a display home. Bill and Hayley's is too small and basically hideous. And neither of them have a front door/entrance or staircase. People just appear from the corridor. Those green accents  at Uptown are way too much. Also,Naomi and Vanessa not having an office or a home .
    • Thanks @Paul Raven  That Grainger story always reads like hog-wild melodrama, not very similar to the more subtle stories for Rita in her last few years. I wonder how Lenore played the material.
    • More from 1976 Lynn, apparently making every effort to overcome her alcoholism, accepts a baby-sitting job. However, when the baby starts crying, Lynn begins to get nervous and takes one drink, then another. By the time Bruce and Van arrive home, Lynn is on the floor, ineffectually trying to find the doctor’s number, sure the baby is ill. When the mother arrives; she vows to let everyone know what goes on in the mayor’s house.Bruce insists that Lynn has to go, but Van, learning that Lynn can’t remember drinking the cooking sherry, calls Joe to report Lynn’s blackouts. Joe wants her institutionalized but gives in to Van’ s pleas that Lynn needs loving attention. Eddie has sent some of Felicia’s work to a New |York gallery owner and reports to Charles that Lisa Cooper wants to exhibit Felicia’s work. Charles refuses to tell her this and later admits he feels he has “cowed”her attention because of his being confined to a wheelchair. What Charles doesn’t say is: that he’s plagued with fears she’ll leave him for another man. Felicia is exuberant as she starts painting again. She tells Charles how she feels about it, but, jealous of anyone or anything that takes attention from him, Charles tries to undermine her confidence. Eddie finally professes his love for her. He will be happy to step forward if she will only let Be and admit that they belong together. Charles tries to stop Felicia’s ‘trip to New York by making her doubt her own work, and when that fails, he finds business reasons at his bookshop to keep Di, his ex-wife, who is running it for him, from accompanying her. Felicia finally decides it’s not going to work and tells Eddie they might as well call it off. Instead, he arranges for Lisa Cooper to come to Rosehill. Charles is rude and insulting to Lisa when she arrives at the house to view Felicia’s work, and his derogatory remarks about shady gallery dealings prompt Lisa to tell Eddie that living in such an atmosphere could permanently stunt an artist’s development; if Felicia is subjected to this indefinitely, it’s not even worth Lisa’s while to take her on as a client. Felicia finally decides she can’t be torn apart any longer and must accede to Charles’s demands. She tells Eddie her career is over and she won’t paint any more, breaks down in his arms, crying bitterly, then pulls away, unwilling to acknowledge that her feelings for him are deeper than she dare face. Charles is delighted when she prepares to dispose of her art supplies, insisting everything will be fine once she has accepted that this part of her life is over. But she cannot do it. She promises him that he can set the limits and terms, but she must paint. Arlene discovers that her mother is planning to avoid the surgery she needs, and the accompanying medical bills, by leaving Rosehill and moving in with her sister Dorothy out west. Arlene manages to prevent this by calling her aunt and telling her the truth about Carrie’s condition. Dr. Tom Crawford has been footing the costs of Carrie’s presurgery tests, but Arlene knows that Carrie won’t like this. So she tells Carrie that David Hart, the son of Meg’s late husband, the former mayor, has heard about their plight and forwarded the money as a gesture of friendship, to be repaid when possible. To convince Carrie that she does indeed have the money, Arlene asks Ray to just lend it to her for a few hours, so she can convince Carrie and then immediately return it. Ray instructs her to get dressed for a night on the town and takes her, out implying that the money will be waiting at the end of the evening. When Ian Russell happens to join them, Arlene doesn’t suspect anything is afoot, but when e Ray suddenly leaves, she becomes furious, realizing what he’s done. But she finds Mr: Russell a distinguished and cultured man, and decides there’s no harm in having a drink. After cocktails and stimulating conversation, Ian suggests that they go to his place, and Arlene agrees. But when they get there, Ian matter of factly suggests that they skip the preliminaries and get on with it. Ian is embarrassed and annoyed to discover that Arlene is not a professional call girl and that Ray didn’t explain to her the purpose of their |meeting. He is apologetic and solicitous, until Arlene, explaining why Ray felt he could pull this on her, mentions her sick mother in need of an operation. Ian starts to laugh at this overworked standard line, and a livid Arlene storms out of his apartment. Thinking it over, Ian decides he’s more intrigued with Arlene than he is annoyed at Ray, and calls Ray for her telephone number. But Arlene is not delighted to hear from him, and he has to use a good deal of soothing charm before she agrees to have dinner with him at one of the better local restaurants.During dinner Ian again apologizes for his mistake, and he gives Arlene a diamond pendant as a token of his gratitude for her forgiving him. Ray arrives to interrupt an otherwise enjoyable evening with a business matter, and quietly reminds Arlene that Ian is his customer and she’s not to cut herself in with him. At home, Arlene examines the pendant and is convinced that it’s genuine. She hides it in her dresser drawer, unable to bring herself to show it to her mother.
    • LOL!! That's funny.  I actually thought he got a little better.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Oh God, she's back? I thought those first scenes were well-intentioned but hysterical.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy