As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

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[Soapsuds]

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[Soapsuds]

Gardner Chavez.....aka James.....Whore....LMAO....loved the episode!

 

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Damn...how I miss Marland's work...

 

 

[Soapsuds]

Martha's last episode as Lily. Thomas Gibson's acting is so bad on ATWT. The show was great in 89 with James murder/Paul's trial to Lily being killed.....and I just noticed that Marland repeated himself with the police officer being the bad guy helping out the villian in the story first with James in 87 and in 89 with Derek's dad. And both dying in a house explosion.....LOL.

 

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Promo for Paul shooting James...

 

 

Lily final episode promo...

 

[Soapsuds]

The Snyders find Holden in NY after his accident

 

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The conclusion to the Carolyn Crawford murder....

 

 

[DRW50]

 

I have to admit I didn't mind Beatrice and I thought Ashley Crow was a decent actress. What hurt her was that she was so obviously a plot device character and she was part of such a convoluted story. It was also not really all that exciting to see a character who was gaslighted for years, infantilized, and who was only saved because of the new man in her life. I did think that Crow and Mark Pinter had more chemistry than he had with Margaret Reed or CZP (how ironic...), but Pinter was a bit of a void at ATWT. 

 

Looking at Marland's new young female characters it's always a pause to remember how wan many of them were and how often they seemed to lack agency, aside from Meg (who only really became a character in her last year on the show) and perhaps Pam.

[DRW50]

 

I thought Julie was pretty interesting even with the Snyders. Her biggest downfall was the second Caleb, but even that worked out when they brought Pete in. 

 

Shannon was a favorite of mine when I first began watching ATWT, which made me hate her 1994 return even more. When I look back I can see why many were not fond of her (whereas I love Julie and Melanie Smith's Emily as much as ever and I still like Angel and Heather Rattray's Lily as well). The "comedy" stuff with Harriet is a bit iffy and many of the actual stories with Duncan were a mess. Then in 1989 suddenly she gets horribly depressing material out of nowhere (I almost wonder if Margaret Reed wanted a change). Still, it was a lot better than that 94-95 stint. I'm still sorry that was how it was handled. 

 

I was always kind of hoping Duncan and Jessica would reunite in ATWT's last year. Instead she just returned to escort Bonnie out of town. 

[amybrickwallace]

@DRW50, would you please be so kind to re-post some of the interviews you have with Rita McLaughlin Walter (Carol)? I've checked the previous pages of the thread and most of the pictures don't work anymore. Thanks!!

[Scrapple]

Although I liked both characters, I could never see Duncan and Jessica as a romantic couple. They just seemed like brother and sister. Duncan and Shannon had all the fire.

 

Probably the most ridiculous moment in ATWT history had to be Duncan holding up "Shannon's" shrunken head, crying, "Oh, my wee lassie!"

 

Although her return eventually fizzled, Shannon's surprise return was one of ATWT's best shockers (before the days of spoilers!) 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

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 This was in 1994, right? 

 

 

[Soapsuds]

I think that was with Lilieth back in 1988 or 1989.  It was that damn doll Lileith sent him....LOL

Edited April 14, 2017 by Soapsuds

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Oh yes, Lillith. There was some good things and some not so good things about that whole storyline.  Lillith used to scare me though-- I was only a child so she legit scared me!

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[Soapsuds]

Me too....more than James did.....LOL

Here is some Lilieth....bwhahahahaha....LOL

 

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[DRW50]

 

1990.

 

Lillith was a real kick in the ass. I love her "surprise" entrance to Oakdale - on the catwalk as Duncan freaks out. It's a bit campier than most of Marland's material at ATWT, but then he used most of his camp in the Duncan story. I also loved the Lilith "jungle" music.

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[DramatistDreamer]

 

Those strings were bloodcurdling.

 

One thing I really have to applaud Marland for is, he may not have created the best female characters but he wrote a lot of strong, complex female characters, even the ones he didn't create. And thank God he didn't give a hoot about whether they were considered 'likeable'.

 

As much as I loved Y&R growing up (it was my 2nd favorite after ATWT), there is a long history of paternalistic writing on Y&R that is very common to a lot of soap writing.

(Bell himself wasn't immune to it, though what saves his credentials is that he created Jill Foster, one of the most feminist characters I've seen on any daytime soap, IMO) .

 

Even when the headwriters of some soaps are women, I've quite often seen paternalistic writing flowing from their pens as well.

 

I didn't get that sense with the characters that Marland wrote--even some of the 'weaker' ones, Beatrice, even Angel-- gain their sense of autonomy, at some point.

 

I could never see Marland writing a matriarchal Nikki Newman, for example. There would have had to be some twist to it.

Nikki would've either had to have her children or her husband (preferably all) under her thumb or simply take lovers or be the Queen Bee of Genoa City's society, freezing people out at will. A grown as* woman (not a child or naif like Angel/Roseanna) with all that wealth yet still subjecting herself to her husband's whims would've been inconceiveable from Marland's pen.

Edited April 14, 2017 by DramatistDreamer