As The World Turns Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

I could understand Susan retaining Stewart---it was her professional name, and the era in which she divorced, women commonly kept their husband's surname. I know I wouldn't have known who "Susan Burke" was prior to her eighties return. And while it's a trifle odd that the show used Stewart for Alison, in essence, she was entitled to it, as Emily was her biological mother.

Kim certainly never went back to Sullivan after her myriad of divorces and widowhoods.

Edited August 9, 2021 by P.J.

[TVFAN1144]

I always loved Ellen.  One more slap in the face to the show’s history

I always thought it was strange that Nancy and Ellen were best friends and appeared to be in the same age group when really Ellen was best friends with Nancy’s daughter Penny

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

In not exploring Susan's personal history as a Burke, the show missed a golden opportunity to mine some material for an older character, and Lord knows the show needed some types of meaty storylines for older characters, particularly women of "a certain age".

Having Susan explore her identity, and who she is, who she would be, if not a Stewart, if written well, could have been a great story for Marie Masters, worthwhile for a veteran character and actress. Then again, the writers showed they were not capable of writing those types of stories.

Instead we got a plethora of stories about characters that, were in Oakdale for all of a minute, before they hijacked the screen. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Janet and Liberty).

Edited August 9, 2021 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

That's down to the absolutely ridiculous aging of Dan Stewart. He was Bob's contemporary in age by the late '60s. 

[Bill Bauer]

Right. It's not odd for a divorced woman to retain her ex-husband's surname but why didn't she retain McDermott? Why go back a couple of husbands? 

Yes it was ridiculous but he seemed more like Tom's contemporary than Bob's. Wasn't he coming out of med school around the same time Tom was in Vietnam? Of course, Tom's aging was ridiculous as well. I just always thought of David being Bob's contemporary in age, not Dan. 

[Mitch]

Kim WAS a Stewart..so that used to be bug me too..especially when it was the Hughes/Stewart family were so tight knit...John used to rail about the "Hughes/Stewart axis runs this town" when self pitying whatever trouble he got himself into.  Also, Emily under Marland was always considered part of the extended Hughes family because of Betsy and Kim, though again, she along with Babs were the problem family members but she was still part of that unit. I miss the extended Hughes family and the comings and goings at Bob and Kim's house all day and all night.

 

 

[DramatistDreamer]

A couple weekends ago, at random, I watched an episode where Kim invited Barbara, Paul, Betsy and Emily to spend the night at the Hughes home, so I know that feeling that you speak of. Even in the midst of turbulence story-wise, it was a warm feeling to see people coming together, building a protective layer around other characters.

Toward the last years of the show everyone was so isolated. Even if there was a storm or some chaotic event, normally an opportunity to have people gather together, characters were often trapped alone or in pairs instead. I know it was likely due to a budgetary issue, not wanting to pay larger groups of cast members to be on set for taping scenes, but the end result of all that isolation in latter years was a cold, sterile, almost impersonal form of visual storytelling, which I personally found depressing.

[DRW50]

You're right. I suppose I felt like Colenback looked more Bob's age. I'm not sure how John Reilly looked at the time (outside of photos) and I have never seen any of the Toms of that era either. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Was Lisa still known as Grimaldi at the end of the series? For some reason that always struck me as strange. Eduardo had been deceased for how many years by then? I don't think Lisa ever stuck with a last name for that long. In a bizarre way, it was as if her identity no longer matter towards the end of the show's run anyway. They weren't writing for her, she was shunted off to the side, almost as if she were a non-person.  

[Bill Bauer]

I really can't believe she stuck with the show considering how badly they treated her to the very end. She was neglected and disrespected for at least the last ten years of the show. Perhaps longer. 

[DramatistDreamer]

She had devoted decades to that show. It's either hang in to the end or do early retirement and some people really don't want to retire, as they think it might degrade their quality of life. Personally, I don't know how she did it but it wasn't just a job to her.

I would've loved to have been able to write a proper ending for Lisa. As one of the longest-running characters in all of daytime television, it still strikes me as sad that her character was so disregarded.

[lilyredd]

I did not appreciate Lisa when I watched consistently as I saw her as a ditzy lady and that type of character does not interest me. What I did appreciate about her is when she was allowed to be “bitchy” whether it was with John or any other perceived enemy. I think the mistake the show made was not keeping her as a villain.
 

As to the end of the show, Lisa was the marrying type and so when Stuart Damon was available I wish they had brought him aboard as a new conquest for Lisa instead of what appeared to be poor man’s General Hospital reunion. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by lilyredd

[Bill Bauer]

 

I think they should have had her remarry Grant and leave Oakdale with him. That would have been a more fitting ending than John and Lucinda laughing at her and her just standing there looking hurt as happened in her final scene. But then, everything was so depressing about the show in the end, I guess it fit. 

[Brolden]

I was watching a random '98 episode yesterday, where Lisa and John are growing close again after his marriage to Barbara. This would of course soon be cut short by his marriage to Carly, which pretty much ended before it began.

I was thinking it was a pity the show didn't allow John and Lisa to get back together, with everything that transpired between them behind them, and see where it would go. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad John ended up with Lucinda in the finale, but I think a renewed John/Lisa pairing in the late 90s could have given both of there characters an impulse.

[DramatistDreamer]

I would have done something more encompassing of the times we were living in back then- I would have written Lisa as embracing online dating. It would have been a fun storyline (which the show seemed to desperately need at that time) having Lisa learn how to use a computer and one of the younger people helping her set up a dating profile. Lisa was often at her best when she was surrounded by youthful energy. See Lisa go on a series of dates, on the point of giving up, before coming across a profile that intrigues her and decides to give online dating one last try. The twist could be, someone from her past being revealed as her perfect match-- whether it's Grant Colman, Joe Bailey or Jerry Halperin, that merchandise distributor that got into a contentious issue with Barbara back in the day, which could have added a bit of tension initially, as Barbara and Jerry have to come to terms with their contentious past and make peace once both acknowledge that they both want Lisa's happiness.

One of the many issues that I had with the way ATWT had decided to resolve plots in its final episodes was that everything was wrapped up too neatly, there was no room for intrigue, no desire to wonder what's going on with the characters, except for one or two characters. Many people didn't like the place that Lily and Holden were in for the final episode but I thought it was true to their history, as odd as it seemed, it was one of the few story conclusions that felt logical.

Edited August 11, 2021 by DramatistDreamer
Cell phones and their ridiculous quirks and penchants for typos-why??