As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

Yes, that's Sara Ramirez.

 

What I loved about Jack's amnesia was how Carly was completely and totally a heroine in it. In any other story, Carly's the one who plots or screws up and has to work her way back to Jack. And yet in some ways, she still gets the shaft---no one's supporting her after Jack rises from the dead. People suggest "there's a reason" Jack doesn't remember Carly---and even Emma and Holden don't seem to care if Jack regains his memory. Which is really, really odd considering Holden's own amnesia story. Don't get me wrong, Michael Park is his usual excellent self, but as a Carly fan it was such a relief to be able to not be waiting for that "other shoe to drop" for her.

 

What I hated---SarahF'inBrown. But to each his own.

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[cassadine1991]

Where are Luther's Corners and Milltown? 

I remember hearing that the hate mail ATWT was getting got SJB fired. Maybe if she played someone else and Annie Parisse was Julia

[P.J.]

Milltown is a suburb of Oakdale. When Ben and the Kasnoffs first appeared, it was described as "the other side of the tracks" from Oakdale. By the time the show ended, it had gone upscale.

 

Luther's Corners is a small farming community outside of Oakdale.

 

I heard the "hate mail got Brown fired" excuse. (or that the Carjackers did....) She wasn't interested in a long term contract. She got a job in NY while her baby daddy was doing something on Broadway.

[Fevuh]

It's interesting to me that people think Pam Long did awful work on One Life to Live when the show hit #1 when she was writing.  People didn't like the Rappaports (sp?)  but she wrote it and the show hit #1 that Summer. 

[cassadine1991]

Cool. Was Oakdale Latin the only HS in Oakdale?

[cassadine1991]

Was this Caleb Snyder's debut episode?

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[GH_Girl]

 

For me at least, the period right before the Rappaports hit was what pulled me in, then I stuck with it out of habit/hope it'd get better.

[adrnyc]

I finished 1986 this morning - what a great year for ATWT! The Douglas Cummings first half of the year I LOVED. I was actually really surprised when it turned out Douglas was Kim's stalker - totally blindsided. The kidnapping leading up to the death was great - Bob and Kim got to be action heroes - Kim sliding down the sheets out the window and Bob with a hurt leg (or was it an arm) running to get to them - super exciting stuff. After that, it was pretty obvious to me who had killed Douglas but anything that puts Kim front and center is fine by me.  Watching Barbara destroy herself was fascinating - the fall out or non-fall out is missing so I'm not exactly sure how everyone reacted. People seem to be fine with Babs by the end of the year.  

 

Shannon and Brian were a hoot all year. That first wedding was hilarious and the second one so sad (I take it Brian is leaving soon?).  I really didn't enjoy Shannon when I first started watching what exists of the 80's but I'm all into her now. And Harriet! And Earl!  Such fun.  Lisa and Earl are great together even though he's gay as a picnic basket.  If I can believe he has kept being an Interpol agent a secret, I guess I can believe he has a secret gay life somewhere he keeps hidden from everyone. 

 

I think I've mentioned before that I thought the Tad Channing mystery was a let down - great set up but so obvious who the killer was.  I love watching an actual whiny teenager in Lily as opposed to the pop culture, wise cracking, too smart for their own good teenagers that become the norm after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Felicity, and Gilmore Girls.  Watching Lily and Holden's budding romance has been a real treat. Holden was such a cad when he was younger but he's already changing through his love for Lily.  Watching the Snyders is my greatest joy of going back and checking out Oakdale of the 80's. I only ever saw Holden, Jack and NutMeg.  Seeing Iva and Caleb is a treat.  Iva is a little too mopey for me as the year goes on - I'm hoping Craig helps her snap out of that. And I can't believe Lily still doesn't know who her real Mother is - the whole town knows by now, I think!

 

I could go on and on - James is back! Lucinda is on fire, a drag queen unrestrained. Casey Peretti is the hottest thing I've seen  - but you all get the gist.  I'm loving that all of these episodes I've never seen are on YouTube. Bring on 1987!!

[DramatistDreamer]

@adrnyc 

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I'm glad that that there is finally someone who like me, loves 1986, it was my favorite year!  1986- to spring '87, was such good, tight story construction and most of the actors played their roles so well!

 

As for how Barbara was received, I think she and Lisa had had a falling out quite awhile back due to Barbara's growing association with Lucinda.  None of the episodes involving Barbara outing herself about her part in Tom and Margo's separation and near-divorce is on You Tube so unless those episodes are posted, you won't get to see 'Aunt' Kim's reaction to the whole thing.

 

It was impressive how long Lily's maternity/paternity storyline went on before it was revealed.  Soap writer's today seem to lack that discipline of writers back then. Today, that storyline would've been spoiled withing months of the viewers' discovery that Iva was her mother.  Back then, it lasted at least a year and a half from when the audience found out to when Lily found out.  I think the key was that Marland assumed that viewers were smart enough to figure that information out, so instead of trying to make the secret about who Lily's mother was, the secret became about when would Lily find out, how she would find out and what would the fallout be?

 

So interesting to hear your thoughts on some of these characters.  I know a few are not well liked by some on this board.  

Like, I heard one or two say that they thought Casey was boring.  I always found Casey to be a fairly interesting character and one that is never written by today's soap writers:  Working class backround yet highly intelligent, skilled and outspoken yet socially awkward, at times.  

I especially loved how the character was introduced, in modest doses until he was integrated fully onto the canvas, before driving story.  Again, another thing that today's soapwriters don't seem to know how to do-- introduce new characters without having them 'eat the show', or immediately sticking them into a relationship with a veteran character.

It's fun to hear your perspective on these stories.

[Soapsuds]

And ATWT took home the Emmy for best soap that year!

[Soaplovers]

Do you guys think the 1988 writer strike kind of derailed Marland a bit?  I recall as a small kid how glued my mom was to this show in 1986/1987...but kind of lost a little interest in 1988/1989 when her focus turned to Another World/Guiding Light.

 

Being that I don't know the contents of 1988/1989...im curious if there was a tonal change or if the cast got too big during that time.

Edited June 15, 2017 by Soaplovers

[adrnyc]

Oh my gosh - the writers strike. I forgot that I have to look forward to.  I watched Another World during that time when I was a teenager (and just did a re-watch of what's on YouTube recently - am Oct 88 now) The writers strike was definitely not great material on AW - I'm hoping Marland had enough of a story laid down that ATWT fares better?

 

Thanks! I'm really enjoying having years of ATWT episodes to watch that are new for me.  Looking forward to '87, it looks as though, after January, the episodes are pretty scattered for the most part until the fall. Hopefully, the episodes are close enough together that I can get most of the story.  At least its doesn't have a giant gap like '86 did.  Not complaining - I'm so grateful for so much being up! I'll write more soon.

[Soaplovers]

 

All I recall about ATWT was that Marland left a complex bible but that the scans burned through it right away.

[adrnyc]

Yikes! That doesn't sound good. Well, I shouldn't get to it until 2018 so I've got awhile to dread it.  LOL

[cassadine1991]

Is a soap bible very hard to create?