As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6yzv2Z1c2Q

[victoria foxton]

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[DRW50]

Part of a September 1994 episode is on Youtube now. There are two clips - I'm just posting the first to save space. You will want to check out the second as you get a (sadly the lighting/tape quality are both problems) scene of Scott Bryce in red silk boxers, and some lovely Samantha/Craig scenes (he even mentions Cricket) and also some good scenes with Jessica/Devere and Margo and Hal. The writing for Margo and Hal is really rough - he even throws her rape in her face. It's very out of the norm for ATWT, especially of these years, but it suits the grittier chemistry Ben and Ellen had. 

 

There's also a good scene with Pete and Cal, and Emma and Cal afterward (Patrick Tovatt and Kathleen Widdoes always had such an easy chemistry).

 

The only downside is, as always, wretched Mike/Rosanna, with Evan having to play the heavy. Andy was also way too involved in Mike's love life...I remember some fans around the mid-90s thought Andy might be gay, which would have made sense, I guess.

 

I had zero memory of this housing project Jessica was involved in. 

 

@Vee you may want to see Darnell's scenes in this episode as you've been watching a lot of his Loving/City work lately. His role on ATWT pretty much never went anywhere, probably not helped by Tamara Tunie leaving.

 

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Edited June 24, 2020 by DRW50

[titan1978]

I watched the other clip.  That was an awful thing to say to Margo.  She should have laid into Hal.

[DRW50]

They also put up a March 1995 episode. ATWT was firing on a lot of cylinders in the first half of '95, until P&G ruined it by hiring hacks. The only material in this episode that I didn't bother with was ever-isolated, tedious Mike and Rosanna. 

 

This is Eduardo's funeral episode. There's a very strong John and Margo scene in the first and second clips. Also very early days for Jef Hamlin, one of about two KMH Emily love interests I liked. 

 

The second clip also has a fun scene where Lisa gives Orlena a smack!

 

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Strong episode. I'm so glad they brought back the beauty shots (for the last time I think) in this period - the scene of Orlena going to the cross is a quiet, powerful way to close out the day. Claire Bloom is just exquisite in that moment where she prays for forgiveness - the layers just went out the window when she left the role.

 

Something I appreciate in this episode, and which would leave when that hack Valente came in, is the rich history on display - the respect for viewers to, for instance, know who Brian and Beatrice are (I wonder if that's the last time they're mentioned on the show). And the conversation with Kirk and Sam about Neal, and how similar she and Neal were to each other. That is the ATWT I felt such a strong connection to, and it's the show I spent the last 15 years of its existence mourning. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by DRW50

[detroitpiston]

 

Katie always felt like a forced  character for me because of her botched and non-existent backstory with her legacy parents. She would have been a stronger character with that

 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by detroitpiston

[titan1978]

I think Katie had the potential to be a Lucy Coe type.  Not the focal point character but also in the mix, scheming and lying her way in and out of trouble, trying to get more money, status, a better job, a man, etc.

 

Instead they made her the focus too much.  And when you already had Carly there treading similar ground in the scheming department and better at it in every way, she just seemed silly and got too much attention.

[Mitch]

 

But a weird episode which kind of fell flat..you have the funeral drama and then boring Mike and Rossana and the car. Then you have Lucinda and her numerous siblings step siblings, whatever they were.  But really, Lisa was made to wear full 1940s movie star mourning and to slap another women at a funeral..yet, it wasnt that fun...it was just slap.."Oh Im sorry!" I did like that Duncan and Shannon were there for support..along with the Hughes..Lisa in her later years should have been the Felicia of this show, aiding and protecting, and protected by, an eclectic mix of misfits and eccentrics, while still maintaining her high heels in the staid Hughes side.

[DRW50]

 

Oh I skipped everything with Mike and Rosanna. That helped probably.

 

I agree with you about Lisa - she became so brutally isolated, which the character never should have been. 

 

I guess Michael Swan and Margaret Reed had no idea what was coming (I think Reed said as much) but they should have had an inkling when they were basically used as extras here. 

[victoria foxton]

A bunch of episodes and clips from 1982-83. 

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Edited June 25, 2020 by victoria foxton

[Soapsuds]

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The CarJack reunion

 

Maura giving Michael the compass ....aww 

 

Michael has Barbara chair and he took the.bench from the Snyder farm after the last episode was taped.

Edited June 26, 2020 by Soapsuds

[Soaplovers]

Carjack..over rated and too much focus. 

 

Carly was one of those characters that worked best on her own vs in a coupling.

 

 

[juppiter]

Carjack was sexy when Jack had his dangerous side. When Jack became Officer Jesus, I was over both him and Carjack. Michael Park was great, but the writing for Jack became so sanctimonious and I came to hate the character.

[soapfan770]

Thanks @DRW50 for sharing those late 94/early 95 eps I certainly enjoyed watching them!

 

The Hal/Margo scene did feel off-putting to me and was strange...during these years I did actually enjoy the Hal & Dolan Margo’s friendship and close working partnership with the angsty undercurrent almost always coming from Tom. But Hal of this era was too blunt for his own good. Still Hal vs. Tom was enjoyable to watch, even if their arguments boiled down to Jeremy Wheeler being good or bad to be around Adam and taking cheap shots at each other. 

 

At the time I was annoyed by Julie’s kids but in retrospect they’re much more refreshing to watch now especially to see how talented Biggs(glad he had his time, no idea what he’s done lately) was in the role. I hated they got rid of Caleb & Julie to this day and later came up with some really crappy off-screen stories for the two when Aaron was on in the 00’s. Sheesh.  
 

Getting an old school movie star like Claire Bloom as Orlena was quite a coup for ATWT it’s a shame the show wasn’t able to keep her all the way to the end of Orlena’s reign. 
 

Re: Andy up in Mike & Rosanna’s   business—this was a Marland era hangover from the cliche of Oakdale folks gossiping too much while out on the town lol. Would NEVER had happened in Genoa City.

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Edited June 27, 2020 by soapfan770

[DRW50]

 

I was fine with Caleb leaving (although I would have recast him after a year or two, maybe), but I do think they had more mileage left with Julie and with Pete. Jason Biggs was great in the role. I guess he was not likely to stay long anyway, but they had more stories to tell - he might have added some flavor to the tediousness with Nikki and Dani, anyway. 

 

I was not watching for most of the '00s but the few stories I heard about Julie annoyed me to no end. I think was about how ill she was and how she couldn't raise Aaron for that reason. Such a fun, lively character made into a frail figure so that her son (a son she likely never would have taken back in the first place) could frown his way through Oakdale for a few years before being forgotten. They could have at least brought her back one time for his stories. 

 

Hal could be an ass but that felt very extreme. Maybe it was just the scriptwriter for the episode...